Wind with Ice
by Iryann
Summary: Zoro's been having some very disturbing nightmares, he hasn't slept for a week and his heart pain is back. The crew is worried, especially a certain navigator. Pairings: ZoNa, LuVi, SanRo. Post-Thriller Bark and Impel Down arcs.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are owned by Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 1**

_Night had fallen. Not a sound could be heard but the whistling wind. The streets appeared to be silver under the full moon. It would have been a beautiful scene, had it not been for the shadows that hid behind houses and the trees, slowly stretching out their claws to scratch the white glow of the moonlight. The town seemed deserted, abandoned, almost haunted, but a young man walked the streets as if he were walking in broad daylight. His pitch black hair reflected the silver light that the moon showered upon him. He moved in silence, with a graceful pace that rivaled that of a cat. He was not scared of the night; rather, he was enamored by it. It reminded him of her; "the moon that illuminated his nights". The silly thought brought a smile to his lips; a smile tinted with longing and nostalgia. His silver eyes a reflection of his solitude…God he missed her…_

_A light, cracking sound broke the silence that flooded the streets; someone had stepped on the dry leaves that filled the town in autumn. His eyes flickered to his side. Whoever they were – he was sure it was a good twenty people at least – they had been following him for a couple days now. He had ignored them, hoping that in time they would show themselves or just go away…but that was not the case. _

_Another cracking sound. He was starting to get annoyed. With a sigh, he stopped walking and waited. Still, no one came out._

"_It is quite impolite to stalk someone in the middle of the night, gentlemen…mind coming out so that I can see your faces?" he asked aloud with cold mockery._

_Some surprised gasps and curses could be heard behind the shadows of the dark alleys surrounding him. __**"Rookies huh?"**__ he thought, smirking in amusement. The stalkers finally came out of the dark and surrounded him…there was about twenty of them. He heard a tile break in pieces as it hit the pavement and glanced to the roofs of the houses. __**"Make that thirty then"**__. _

_He sighed. He didn't think of himself to be amazingly strong – violence was not his thing – but still, they were underestimating him a bit. _

"_So you noticed us, Kaze no Kei" a rather big man questioned, voice full of fake mockery. The guy was scared shitless, and he could tell. He smirked. These guys are just too much fun._

"_Why of course" he said with a happy voice "I noticed you about three days ago, when you started following me from the dock"._

_The big guy paled, but made sure to mutter a curse under his breath, to appear tough…funny guy. The street was filled with the gasps and amazed mutters of the rest of the stalkers. If they were impressed by just that… __**"They really are rookies…"**__ he sighed. Not that he was complaining really. These guys would be really easy to get rid of…but it would be no fun at all…and that was somewhat a matter of disappointment to him. __**"And here I was expecting to enjoy this a little…"**_

"_Well then…I'm in a bit of a hurry so I'm afraid I can't stay here to chat with you, ladies" he said with a sly smirk that widened as soon as he heard the enraged response of his stalkers "it was nice meeting you"_

_And with that said he turned his back on them and kept on walking completely nonchalant, waiting to see if his words had finally sunk into those apparently brainless idiots._

"_You BASTARD!!" _

_Finally. There it was. The response he'd been waiting to hear. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he stopped on his tracks, his back still to his enemies._

"_Don't you dare underestimate us!"Yelled a young man, his sword already drawn towards the mysterious figure. Said figure suddenly disappeared on thin air, leaving a completely astounded lad gawking stupidly at the spot that his sword had just sliced through…air? There was nobody there._

"_You know…I'm probably not one to talk..." the man gasped, a shudder travelling up his spine as her heard the voice of the infamous Lord of the Wind mere inches away from his ear "but you should never give your back to the enemy"._

_The poor guy didn't even have time to turn around; a gust of wind suddenly came from nowhere and sliced his chest open like an extremely sharp katana would. With fear now staining all his view, he turned around to look at his attacker, blood streaming out of his mouth as he saw the man standing behind him. He had no weapon…he was just looking at him with a strangely mischievous look on his face. Finally, his legs gave in to the pain and he started falling forward._

"_Wh-what are you?" the lad muttered through bloodstained lips before collapsing on the ground with a thud, a puddle of blood already forming around him._

_The enigmatic man looked at him with a strange look on his face. His eyes almost sad. A small smile plastered on his face._

"_You didn't think the name was just for show, did you?"he muttered bitterly, almost to himself, for the man was already unconscious. _

_The silver-eyed man then turned to the rest of his enemies, who seemed to have lost all courage left in them. He sighed. Seriously, did they really expect that he'd give in to their demands that easily, if at all? The poor bastards probably didn't even know what they'd gotten themselves into. It was so pathetic he almost pitied them. _

_Almost._

"_Well, let's get this over with, shall we?"_

_A blast of wind came again out of nowhere and the street was suddenly covered in blood and shrieks of pain and fear. The mysterious man being the only one left standing now, hands in his pockets. He hadn't moved a finger. His eyes roamed the now bloodied street with a slightly grieved expression that he quickly masked with a fake cocky smile. _

"_It's been a pleasure, gentlemen…now if you'll excuse me--"_

_His words were cut off short as his power suddenly left him; so abruptly that his knees almost gave out as a surprised gasp escaped his lips. His jaw clenched at the unexpected pain that shot through his brain. It was so strong that he clasped his hands to his head with an agonized cry. His vision turned black for a moment and the pain increased, making him gasp for air. With a barely contained groan he fell to his knees, bending over as he held on to his head for dear life._

"_What the-?" he stopped midsentence as another surge of pain hit him and a pained cry left his lips without permission._

"_Well, well…who do we have here?" a cold voice echoed through the abandoned streets, making the pained man flinch and glance around him weakly, eyes clouded by the pain. "It's been a long time since I last saw you, oh infamous Lord of the Wind…Datte"._

_His eyes suddenly widened as he recognized the voice, only to be clenched shut with a grunt as another wave of agonizing pain seized his head. Slowly managing to reopen his eyes, he glared up at the young red haired man now standing before him; who was showing off a very amused smirk on his face._

"_You know…I'm honestly amazed that you've been able to avoid us all this time" he said with a sly smile, the air suddenly filled with a dark chuckle as he seemed to think of something funny. "I'm quite disappointed that your little wench is not with you…" he sighed "and here I was hoping I could have a little fun with her…"_

_Datte directed a death glare to the man in front of him, breathing heavily from the pain, as he managed to raise his eyes from the ground._

"_You bastard" he snarled "don't you dare do anything to her or I swear I-ugh!" he was cut off by a pain even greater than before as he once again bent over to grab his head in agony._

"_You'll what?"the man asked, his green eyes bright with satisfaction at getting that expected reaction from the usually laid back man "will you summon the wind and send me flying away with one of your whirlwinds, Datte?" his mouth suddenly drawn down with a scowl "or will you try to avoid your problems like you usually do, you shameless coward?"_

_The man on his knees suddenly chuckled, not needing to look up to see the red-head's expression. The green eyed man had always hated him, and while he tried to hide it with his cold jokes and grins he knew he couldn't stand the sight of him._

"_Why, Itami, if I didn't know any better I'd say that's hatred dirtying your mouth" he said, the smirk obvious in his voice. His smile slightly faltered when the man's foot collided with his stomach and he was thrown to his side, but the smirk remained in place. He had kicked him. He hadn't used his powers to make him cry out in pain; which could only mean that he had done that without really thinking, just acting on a reflex. Ergo, he had hit a nerve and annoyed the redhead to a pretty good extent. And that was certainly something to smile about._

_The green-eyed man noticed his slip and cursed under his breath, hatred darkening his eyes as he glared at the smiling black-haired man sprawled on the ground. Again he kicked Datte in the stomach. Hard. Making him cough out some blood. _

"_You think you're so smart, don't you" he snarled "but you won't be smiling so happily when Kaien-sama is done with you…and trust me when I say that we will hunt down that ice witch too. And I'll make sure she goes through hell before you ever see her again." The smile faded from Datte's lips as he glared at the man with complete hatred, which only caused Itami's face to split with a sadistic smile "And don't think you'll get out of this unharmed either…"_

_The silence of the night was shattered by a cold heartless laughter, and it was the last thing Datte heard before an agonizing pain shot through his body with unbearable force. He couldn't help it. He shot his head back and screamed in agony._

* * *

Zoro woke up with a startled cry. His brow wet with cold sweat. Confused, he looked around and realized he was on the grassy deck of the Sunny, leaning against the mast, with his swords right next to him. The orange tint that enveloped the ship could only mean the sun was setting. He dragged a hand through his short green hair as he let out a breath he had not realized he was holding. _Another nightmare, huh…_

Although relieved that it had only been a bad dream, a part of him was worried it might have been real. The swordsman frowned at the thought. _That bastard better be alright…_

His train of thought was rudely interrupted as someone cleared their throat near him to get his attention. He looked up to see the orange-haired witch glaring down at him, tapping her shoe, looking extremely annoyed at him for some unknown reason. He figured he'd know soon enough though_…3, 2, 1…_

"ZORO! What the hell are you still doing here!?" she yelled "you're supposed to be in the crow's nest! What if the marines try to attack us!? Now move your lazy ass and get up there, you idiot!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: One Piece and its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 2**

"ZORO! What the hell are you still doing here!?" she yelled "you're supposed to be in the crow's nest! What if the marines try to attack us!? Now move your lazy ass and get up there, you idiot!"

If Nami had been expecting an annoyed comeback from the green-haired swordsman, she was extremely disappointed. The normally gruff man silently stood up, strapped his katana back to his green haramaki and quietly walked over to the ladder leading up to the crow's nest.

"Right, sorry" he muttered halfheartedly as he passed by the dumbfounded navigator. Suddenly feeling guilty for the rude treatment, she turned to the swordsman with a worried look on her face.

"…Zoro?" she asked quietly; genuinely concerned about her nakama's unusual behavior.

To her surprise, he looked at her and gave her a small smile before heading up to the crow's nest. "Don't worry". And with that, he silently climbed up the ladder leaving a very worried orange-haired navigator watching the green-haired swordsman disappear behind the trapdoor of the little room at the top of the mast.

"What's wrong with him?" she muttered to herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the crew's doctor shrieked his way across the deck, running up to her, seemingly scared to death…which wasn't exactly unusual.

Forgetting Zoro's odd behavior for the moment, Nami giggled at the small reindeer's antics. She kneeled down to his eye-level and patted his head (or hat), trying to calm him down.

"What's wrong, Chopper?" she asked sweetly.

The cute, little reindeer looked at her with tear-filled eyes, trying to swallow down his fear as he said to her, "Luffy's not moving! HE JUST DROPPED DEAD!!"

Nami's eyes widened in surprise at the small reindeer's statement.

"What?" she asked in shock.

"I'll show you!" the furry creature screamed, as he held on to the navigator's hands and lead her to the back of the ship. Nami followed after the small doctor, suddenly scared of what she might find.

A loud whine reached her ears.

"Meaaat!!" she immediately recognized that whiny voice as his captain's and, sure enough, found him sprawled across the wooden floor with his tongue rolling out and a weak look painted across his features.

"Fooooooood!" he begged once more with that childish voice of his.

A vein popped on the navigator's forehead as she realized what his captain's supposed "_death_" had all been about and, in two long strides, she was by his side knocking him hard on the head.

"STOP MAKING ME WORRY!!!" she yelled; her face red with annoyance.

"Itteeeeeee!" the straw-hat captain yelped as he rubbed the bump on his head "Nami!! What was that for?!"

"You made Chopper worry, you idiot!" she snapped before taking a deep breath, trying to collect herself, "He thought you were dead".

Chopper stepped out from behind the navigator's legs, and looked over at Luffy.

"So you're okay?" he sniffled, face still wet from his earlier tears. Even if he was an amazing doctor, Chopper was still very much like a child.

Luffy's face split with his trademark grin as he looked at the small doctor.

"Shishishishi! Of course!" a growl suddenly broke through his starved stomach and his smile faded once again while he dropped to the ground "aaaaaaaw…I'm so hungryyyy" he whined with a ridiculously laughable expression.

Chopper tried to stifle a giggle with his small hoofs while Nami shook her head, annoyed at her captain's antics.

"What's wrong?" they turned around to see Vivi approaching them, a smile drawn on her face as soon as she saw her captain's pout.

"Viviiii!" he cried "I'm hungryyy!!"

The blue-haired princess laughed and kneeled down beside Luffy.

"Sanji-san's almost done with dinner, I don't think you'll have to wait for much longer" she informed him with a kind smile.

"REALLY!?" he screamed, his energy suddenly back as he held his hat in place and laughed merrily "FOOOOD!" he threw his hands in the air and kept on laughing with that carefree smile of his. "Thanks Vivi!" he chirped as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her, making her almost fall on top of him.

"N-no problem" she replied, blushing furiously.

Nami smiled at the cute couple and sighed, making her way back to her room. It had been almost three months since they had gotten together at the Marine Quarters to save Ace. Many things had happened since then; one of them being the return of the blue-haired princess to the crew.

Apparently, when she'd heard of Ace's execution she had decided to do what she could to help (like she always did); and since her country had already recovered from the rebellion, she left the kingdom in the capable hands of her friend Kohza before jumping on the fastest ship to the execution grounds of the Marine Quarters.

Nami had been really happy to see her again, and so had the rest of the crew. But what was completely unexpected was how, as soon as she had seen them, she'd thrown herself on Luffy's arms and kissed him passionately in front of everyone – and Luffy hadn't exactly been unresponsive.

Who would have thought that their childish captain knew how to kiss a girl?!

Sanji's face had been a poem. Nami giggled at the memory of the cook gawking at his lovely "Vivi-chwan" while she kissed the seemingly not-so-innocent Luffy.

Thank God, everything had been alright and they were all safe and sound, including Ace and Luffy. And, although the rubber captain had to undergo a strict recuperation schedule to heal his poisoned body, he was completely fine; Luffy was now fully healed (probably because of his rubbery constitution). And Zoro, who had been horribly injured before being vanished by Kuma, was apparently fully healed as well.

Apparently.

Nami sighed, and looked up at the crow's nest. She knew Zoro had been far more injured than he let on, and that he was still hurt from Kuma's first attack, plus their encounter with the other Kumas and the Admiral had not made things any better. He got tired faster than before, and she had noticed how he would press his hand to his chest when he pushed himself too hard. She didn't know what Kuma had done to him, but it had affected his heart, and she couldn't help but to be worried about him. They were nakama, after all; because it was totally _not _because she had any kind of feelings for the swordsman…_NOT. AT. ALL._

However, as anxious as she was, Nami didn't want to ask him, because she knew he would not answer; and every time she had pressed Sanji – who, she knew, was aware of what had happened to Zoro – he always changed the subject. Robin seemed to know as well, but the navigator was sure that getting it out of the enigmatic woman would be most impossible, so she hadn't even tried. Brook also seemed to know something but – like Sanji – he tried to dodge the question by throwing some of his "skull jokes" at her, laughing loudly to avoid giving her any answer.

Nami sighed with worry, but she was prevented from thinking about the issue any longer as Sanji suddenly opened the door to the dining room and called the idiots for dinner.

"Oi! Shitheads!!" he yelled "dinner's ready!"

Almost immediately, Luffy's thrilled voice could be heard getting closer as he ran past the cook with and excited cry.

"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!"

Vivi and Chopper followed shortly. The princess smiling warmly as a very excited reindeer told her about something very interesting he had read in one of his medicinal books.

Franky came from his workshop talking with Usopp about some new _SUPER_ invention he wanted to build, as the sniper listened quietly, eyes bright of excitement to start building their new project.

The merry melody that came from the galley told her that Brook was already in there, entertaining their captain with his music and awfully bad skull jokes.

"Something wrong, Navigator-san?" Nami all but jumped out of her skin in surprise as she heard Robin's voice beside her. She turned around and found her dark-haired friend smiling at her, a book in her hands.

"Ah! N-nothing! Nothing! I just spaced out for a little, that's all! Ahahahaa!" she laughed nervously at her friend, hopelessly failing to hide her concerned face from the historian. One glance at Robin's blue eyes and she knew it was all to no avail; she sighed and glanced up at Robin with a sad smile. "Actually, I'm kinda worried…about Zoro…I don't care what he says, I know his heart is still not healed from whatever happened and I--"

Robin was not surprised; she had noticed how the navigator looked at the swordsman every time he seemed to falter. Nami was a smart woman, and the fact that she had noticed that Zoro had _heart_ problems just told of her good observation skills. Robin looked at her worried friend and smiled; even though she could not tell her what exactly was wrong with Zoro…she could always try to calm her down.

"Don't worry, navigator-san, I'll talk to him and will make sure to tell you if he's really okay" she smiled at the sudden hopeful glint in the navigator's eyes, and she saw no good reason to deny Nami's deductions as to Zoro's heart, "I'm sure there's no need for you to worry much, he hasn't had any strong heart pain for almost a month now.", she assured her. And she wasn't lying. She had been taking turns with Sanji (much to the cook's chagrin) to make sure Zoro didn't overexert himself, and it seemed to be paying off.

Nami smiled, feeling immensely relieved that Robin understood her concern, "Thank you, Robin!"

The older woman smiled and nodded, and they both started walking towards the kitchen, where Sanji was waiting for them with treats and love-struck compliments.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 3**

"SANJIII!!!! MEEEEEAT!" the red vested captain yelled with fork and knife in each hand (not that he actually ever _used_ them). He was soon joined by Chopper and Brook, who started slamming their forks on the table demandingly. Franky was too busy chugging down his cola to join them on their rhythmical food-demand, and Usopp was trembling of fear while looking at the eerie, dark aura surrounding Sanji. Vivi stifled a giggle and Robin smiled at the crew's antics while Nami rubbed her forehead at the first signs of an incoming headache.

"I said WAIT! You shitty gomu!!" the cook yelled annoyed as he kicked the back of the captain's head, making it slam against the table (and bounce right back up). That effectively made the other two shut up while a very amused long-nose laughed at his captain's flat, reddened face.

"Ladies first," He said, suddenly switching into ero-cook mode, hearts in his eyes as he turned around to face his beloved ladies. "Oh, Nami-swan! Robin-chwan! Vivi-chwan! I hope you enjoy the meal I have prepared with all the love in my heart! 3" he cooed as he danced around his goddesses (doing the noodle dance).

"Why thank you, Cook-san." Robin said, regaling him with an amused smile before turning her attention to the exquisitely arranged dish.

Nami smiled sweetly at him and Vivi put the fork in her mouth squeaking with delight, "It's delicious, Sanji-san!"

Sanji practically melted on the floor as he started yelling his Mellorine-song.

All the while Luffy had recovered from the kick and was already yelling again at the unfairness of the girls getting the food first.

"SANJI~!! HURRY UP!! I'M HUNGRY~!" the cook in question turned to his captain looking completely serious again, blowing smoke from his mouth as he scowled at the rest of his _stupidly __**male**_ crew.

"Coming, coming, you shitheads…" he muttered as he retrieved the rest of the dishes from the counter and settled them on the table.

The dining room was immediately filled with the noise of Luffy stuffing the food in his mouth, as the sound of laughter and easy, comfortable conversation started flowing around the table.

The captain smiled as he looked at his crew…only to note something was off. He swallowed and looked around the room with a confused look.

Usopp soon noticed his captain's puzzled expression.

Curious as to what it was that Luffy was looking for, he tried to follow his gaze and, failing to see what could have the straw-hat boy so bemused, he finally asked.

"Something wrong Luffy?"

All conversation died as everyone else noticed that their captain had been quiet for quite a while – just a couple minutes, really, but that was a record time for Luffy…specially during dinner (or lunch or breakfast for that matter).

"Where's Zoro?"

Their eyes widened as they realized that the marimo-head was indeed not in the room.

Sanji snorted and went back to eating without much concern (or at least trying not to show it).

"The idiot probably fell asleep again" he said, slightly annoyed at the swordsman for skipping dinner. He didn't like it when the crew went without eating; he wouldn't allow any starving crewmates aboard the Thousand Sunny. But that was it. Because he was absolutely NOT worried about Zoro's condition. "_That bastard better not be choking somewhere…" _he thought as he munched on his food_._

Usopp looked thoughtful as he said, "He's been acting a little weird lately".

Sanji, Brook and Robin tensed slightly. Chopper nodded in silence, deliberating whether Zoro could be sick or not.

"It's true, swords-bro has not been so _SUPA _this week…I've heard him wake up late at nights and walk around the deck even when it was not his shift…" Franky mumbled; thinking back to the passed night when Zoro, once again, had woken up startled around midnight and left the men's quarters until the break of dawn.

"Mr. Bushido seems so restless…maybe something's worrying him…or maybe he's sick--" the blue-haired princess' worried words were interrupted by Chopper's panicked shriek.

"AAAAAAH!! ZORO'S SICK!? DOCTOR!! WE NEED A DOCTOR!" he yelled as he ran around the galley hysterically.

It was Usopp who finally knocked him on the head telling him, "That's you!" to which the little reindeer responded with a little sheepish laugh.

"Yohohohohoho! Chopper-san! I don't think Zoro-san is ill!" the skeleton laughed, "He's probably just tired".

Luffy had been quiet the whole time, a fact that put everyone in a state of unease.

Robin hadn't said anything either. She glanced at her captain, and then at the navigator who had been trying to hide her concern from the moment the conversation started. But before she could say anything, Sanji rose from his chair and walked towards the counter in silence.

Everyone in the room grew quiet as Sanji took one of the dishes and a glass of water and started making his way towards the door.

"You guys worry too much," he assured them, "I'm sure the marimo just fell asleep in the crow's nest again." He looked at Luffy and sighed before giving the crew a small smile, "Don't worry; I'll take him his food".

"Cook-san?" he turned to see Robin rising from her chair, "Do you mind if I do it?"

"Oh! Don't worry Robin-chan!" he said, "I couldn't possibly let a lady dirty her hands with the stupid moss-hea--"

"It is no problem." She interrupted with a smile, while her blue eyes gave him _that look_ that left no room for complain, "Besides, I need to take in some fresh air, and it's getting a little hot in here."

Sanji sighed, letting the smoke of his cigarette leave his lips as he handed the dish to Robin with a quiet, "Of course, Robin-chan".

Nobody seemed notice the wink Robin gave to the orange haired navigator before walking through the door, or the small – and somewhat relieved – smile that appeared on Nami's lips when she left.

Sadly, the tension in the air had not left with Robin.

Their captain was still quiet; his hat shading his eyes from view. They all stayed unmoving in an awkward silence, waiting for him to speak.

The cook jumped a little when the straw-hat boy finally questioned him.

"Sanji" he said in a cold, unusually grave voice "is Zoro alright?"

The silence that followed Luffy's question was absolute. Sanji seemed to pale before the stares of the rest of the crew. They all wanted to know. They all had noticed that Zoro was not alright, but nobody had dared to ask before. And so, the cook was left with the dilemma of deciding whether or not he should tell them the truth.

The blond was truly tempted to just take it off his chest and let everyone know what had happened in Thriller Bark…but he knew that would not be fair to Zoro. Most importantly, he knew it wouldn't do any good to Luffy if he knew that his first mate had almost gotten killed for his sake

…and was suffering long-term (if not permanent) heart problems for his sacrifice. Thus, after a moment of hesitation, Sanji did what he knew was best for all of them.

For the sake of his nakama.

For the stupid marimo.

For their stupid rubber captain.

"Of course he is, baka!" he said with a laugh; a fake laugh. "I already told you, didn't I? He's probably just snoring in the crow's nest and forgot it was dinner time."

Everyone looked at Luffy; worried.

He was still hiding his eyes from view. Sanji thought he was going to insist and ask him again; telling him that he knew that wasn't true. But he waited to see his reaction.

Suddenly, Luffy surprised them all by giving them one of his face-splitting grins and their eyes widened as their captain seemed to go back to his usual carefree attitude.

"Okay!" he chirped before he resumed stuffing meat into his rubber mouth.

The crew released a breath they had not realized they'd been holding; happy to see the rubber captain was back to normal.

Even if they knew he was faking.

Luffy was not stupid.

He knew something was up with Zoro, no matter how hard the crew tried to hide it. He was worried about his first mate, he truly was, but Zoro was strong, and if he thought there was no need for Luffy to worry, then he would not bother him into telling him.

Luffy trusted his first mate, and so he acted like he didn't know Zoro was suffering.

The crew knew this, but also chose to stay quiet.

It was better that way.

An ear vanished in a cloud of petals from its spot under the table, unnoticed by the crew.

Outside the galley, Robin glanced at the sky with sad blue eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Robin smiled sadly on her way to the crow's nest. She had put an ear in the galley to listen to whatever the crew talked about after she left. So she had obviously heard Luffy ask about Zoro.

As she was going up the ladder to the crow's nest – with some extra hands to carry the plate and the glass of water – she couldn't help but feel sorry for her young captain.

Luffy was clearly worried about his first mate, but Robin knew she couldn't do anything about it, since telling him the truth was absolutely out of the question. Nobody – but her, Sanji and Brook – would know what happened to the swordsman.

Robin sighed. At least Zoro seemed to be getting better; he hadn't had any attacks for over a month or so.

She was almost all the way up the ladder when she heard a dull _thud_, coming from the crow's nest, as if someone had fallen down, and the sound of coughing – muffled by the wooden floor in between her and the room.

Worried, she rushed up to the trap door and opened it hastily.

What she saw made a lump form in her throat.

Maybe she had spoken too early.

The green haired swordsman was on his knees; left hand over his mouth, trying to silence the hacking coughs that were racking his body.

His other hand was fisted over his heart.

"Zoro!" she screamed, as she closed the trap door and rushed to his side.

He tried to shove her away with his right arm, while his other hand remained over his mouth.

"I'm fine!" he rasped between coughs. But by doing so, Robin was able to see the blood on his hand and his mouth.

The blood he had been trying to hide from her.

"No, you are not." she replied gravely, directing a stern look to the swordsman as soon as he managed to stop coughing; a look that he answered with one of his glares.

After a staring contest that lasted a couple minutes, Zoro finally gave up. He sighed, still looking pale and in pain, and leaned back, sitting in a more comfortable position, his eyes staring at the ground.

Seeing that he wasn't going to push her away anymore, Robin relaxed and sat down next to him. His breathing was finally going back to normal, and his hand had left his chest to go back to his lap.

His heart didn't hurt as much.

After a moment of silence, Zoro spoke up, still not looking up from the ground.

"So? What did you want?" he asked in his baritone voice. He seemed to have totally calmed down.

A row of hands suddenly flowered from the carpeted floor, passing down the forgotten plate and glass of water towards the two silent crewmates. Robin took the dish in her hands and handed it to Zoro, who placed it on his lap, silently.

"Dinner," she said in her usual, calm voice and smiled, "Cook-san was upset that you were going to skip it and so I brought it up to you."

Zoro snorted, "Shitty cook…" he mumbled as he started eating.

After a short silence, the swordsman looked up from his plate and put it aside.

He glanced at the woman besides him expectantly.

"Well?" he finally asked, trying to get her attention. Robin seemed to break from her trance and blinked slowly before glancing back at the swordsman.

"What were you going to tell me?" he asked in a low voice, staring at her with a serious glint in his black eyes.

"What do you mean swordsman-san?" she asked, faking innocence. His stare didn't falter.

"You don't expect me to believe you came all the way up here just to _bring me dinner._" He answered, his eyes narrowing, as the archeologist didn't seem faced at all. Her eyes had never been easy to read, and they still weren't, no matter how close they'd become over the past months.

Still, she didn't answer, and he was starting to get impatient.

"What is it, woman?" he asked in a low growl.

Finally, Robin moved her gaze to the swordsman's chest – his shirt was all wrinkled over his heart, and there were traces of the blood that he had coughed out earlier. She sighed and looked at him in the eyes.

"They're all worried," she said, her voice so low it was barely a whisper, "Luffy asked Cook-san if you were alright and…"

Zoro's eyes reflected panic for a second, before he was able to hide it under a calm stare.

"What did the cook say?" he asked quietly.

She gave him a small smile.

"Don't worry," she assured him, "He didn't tell him, he just said you were tired and had slept over dinner."

Zoro sighed in relief.

_I'll have to thank that ero-cook later_

…_maybe…_

Now sure that his secret was not out in the open, Zoro picked up the glass of water and started gulping it down.

Robin smiled.

"Navigator-san is very worried about you." she said, a smile playing on her lips.

Zoro choked on his water, and started coughing madly; his face suddenly tinted a suspicious red color as Robin couldn't help but giggle at the troubled swordsman.

"Wh-what?" he coughed, trying to get air back to his lungs.

"Oh, she was very concerned about you this afternoon," she smiled; the amusement obvious in her voice, "I caught her staring at the crow's nest with a very worried expression".

Zoro remembered his encounter with the navigator earlier, and groaned in annoyance. It was no wonder she'd been worried, he hadn't responded to her insults like he usually did and that witch was just too clever for her own good.

Robin raised her eyebrows at this, suddenly curious. "Did anything happen?"

Zoro scowled at her. _She's enjoying this way too much._

"It's nothing!" he growled.

Her eyes gleamed with renewed interest, "Oh my, could it be that she's responded to your feelings for her, Swordsman-san?" she asked with a fake gasp of surprise. "Did you kiss her?"

"WHAT!?" the blush in Zoro's face was more than obvious.

Robin smiled a cat-like grin, and Zoro felt a shiver run up his spine. _This can't be good…_

When Robin had that smile on her face it meant that she was thinking of something that she knew, but that he obviously didn't. And Zoro didn't like that one bit.

"Robin, stop smiling like that, you're creeping me out." he groaned, annoyed at her amused expression.

"How very intriguing…" she mused, that look still present in her eyes.

The first mate looked at his friend. They had become closer after the whole Thriller Bark story. She – along with the shitty cook and the skeleton – had helped him hide what had happened from the rest, and was always there for him when he needed help dealing with his attacks.

Zoro had tried to push her away at first, but in time, he had also found that he actually liked talking to her; it had helped relieve the stress that he couldn't drop on anybody else of the crew.

He actually trusted her now…although he didn't trust her with _everything_. But the woman was just too damned smart, and his feelings for Nami had not remained unnoticed. He dropped to the floor with a grunt and lay on his back, eyes closed.

"God, woman, you're so annoying…" he grumbled.

Robin laughed. She did that more and more often now, and the swordsman found himself smiling as he crossed his arms behind his head, eyes still closed. Even if her cleverness could be annoying at times, she was still a good friend.

"So, how's it going with ero-cook?" He asked, "Still clueless?"

She smiled down at him. Robin had noticed his feelings for the navigator, but Zoro had also noticed her feelings for the cook.

"I'm afraid so, Swordsman-san." she said, still smiling.

Zoro snorted, "I bet he gets jealous whenever you spend some time up here with me." he grinned at the thought.

Robin giggled, "Do you know something I don't, swordsman-san?" she asked curious.

Zoro smiled, "Maybe"

Strangely enough, he'd had some talks with the cook. They had also gotten somewhat closer thanks to the whole _"keep it_ _secret"_ issue; which had lead to some confessions from the love-cook, especially whenever he got drunk (which was easy, considering he had so little tolerance to alcohol).

And it looked like the perverted cook had the hots for Robin.

Robin smiled at his friend. She felt like she could truly relax when they were like this; Zoro had become something akin to her best friend. The fact that he trusted her and didn't see her as a threat anymore made her immensely happy; since he had been the most suspicious of her when she joined the crew. _"How ironic",_ she thought as she watched Zoro lying comfortably on the carpeted floor, his eyes still closed, his guard down.

Just then, Robin noticed the dark rings under his eyes, and remembered what Franky had said about the swordsman's night walks.

"Zoro?" she asked, not knowing if he was asleep.

"Hmm?" he opened an eye and looked at her. She had used his real name; it wasn't a joke. "What's wrong?"

"Why are you having trouble sleeping?" she asked quietly, not wanting to force the answer out of him.

Zoro raised his eyebrows and raised himself slightly so that he was leaning on his elbows, so she could look at her better.

"Where'd that come from?" he asked, slightly surprised that she would know about that.

"Cyborg-san mentioned that you've been waking up in the middle of the night lately." she said, seeing no reason to beat around the bush. This was something recent, and she was concerned that it might have to do with Zoro's condition.

The swordsman frowned, not sure if he should worry Robin with his new problem.

"Is it because of your heart?" she asked when she didn't get an answer.

Zoro's eyes widened slightly. _So that's why--_ he thought. He shook his head, trying to calm his friend.

"No, it's got nothing to do with that," he said quietly, "I'm actually not sure myself…" he mumbled.

She sighed in relief, but couldn't help but notice the look in Zoro's eyes as he seemed to space out for a moment. He looked…worried? Confused?

"What's wrong?"

Zoro blinked as he was pulled out of his thoughts and looked at Robin. He sighed and sat up in a straighter position, legs crossed and eyes staring right at the archeologist.

"I've been having these really weird nightmares," he said, "about an old friend of mine being tortured."

Robin raised her eyebrows. She had been expecting the swordsman to say that it was none of her business, but he had just spat it right out without beating around the bush. The serious look in his eyes told Robin that he was not messing with her either.

"And is this something that's already happened?" she asked, "Something from your past?"

Zoro's earrings jingled as he shook his head.

"No, I haven't seen him in years, and we were a lot younger then" he paused "I think it's probably his adult form what I'm seeing in my dreams…"

Robin raised an eyebrow. That was something not very common…if it was really true that he hadn't seen this person since they were little… She then understood why Zoro must've been worried.

"Do you think it could've happened for real then?" she asked quietly, "That he's really being tortured?"

Zoro shrugged, but the look of concern in his eyes showed that he was very worried that his dreams might have been real. He seemed to be thinking about it and his eyes moved to the floor, hidden from view.

Robin was going to say something, but was interrupted by the swordsman suddenly smiling at her. Not his usual, cocky grin, but a warm smile that she had been receiving more often as they became closer.

"Don't worry too much, Robin" he said, "It's probably just a nightmare…I'm sure it's nothing."

He was lying.

Robin knew that Zoro didn't want her to worry more than she already did. She shouldn't force him if he didn't want to tell her.

She smiled to herself and nodded.

"Okay then." she said as she stood up, grabbing the dish and the glass from the floor.

He stood up as well, and walked with her to the trapdoor.

"You have the night watch?" she asked.

"Hmm" he answered vaguely.

She nodded and started climbing down.

"Robin" she looked up to see Zoro glancing down at her from the crow's nest, a look of gratitude in his eyes, "Thank you".

Again, she smiled and resumed climbing down the ladder to the deck.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda **

**Chapter 5**

After Robin left, Zoro spent another hour watching the full moon from his post at the crow's nest. His eyes were slowly starting to close, and he had to shake his head to keep himself awake.

"Damn it" he whispered with clenched teeth.

He hadn't slept for a week now. Sure, he'd been able to drift off at times – like that same afternoon – but it all seemed to no avail; the nightmares seemed to make him more tired than he already was. Zoro also knew he could not afford to sleep through his watch, thus, falling asleep was out of the question anyway…no matter how exhausted he was.

Still. Regardless of how hard he tried, his lids felt immensely heavy, and his head seemed to tilt forward, as though his neck was not strong enough to keep it straight.

And so, with nothing he could do to avoid it, Zoro's eyes closed.

* * *

"AH!" Zoro gasped as he jerked awake. He pressed his hands to his bloodshot eyes and leaned on the wall, directing his eyes towards the ceiling. He doubted he'd closed his eyes for more than ten minutes, and yet that had been enough to have another nightmare.

Zoro shivered at the thought of what he'd seen.

His old friend Datte, in front of a white long-haired guy that had a sadistic look that Zoro hadn't liked one bit. After that, it was all going too fast; a flash of images and sounds that had made his heart beat increasingly fast until it gave one final strong beat that ripped his mind off the nightmare.

_Datte screaming, the white man's cold laughter, black eyes with yellow pupils staring through his soul…ice, wind, ghosts…_his mind replayed all those images as his heart rate sped up.

He leaned back against the wall, gasping for breath as he felt his chest tighten. His heart was hurting; it was beating with too much strength, like it wanted to break its way out of his ribs. Zoro clenched his shirt, as if by doing so he could will the pain away. He was breathing harshly, and every shuddering breath he took seemed to bring in more pain.

"Not…again…" he rasped, trying to get up but falling to his knees as another wave of pain hit his heart. Blood starting travelling up his gullet; and he couldn't breathe. He started coughing, spitting out the red substance while taking in as much air as he could.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was really no more than a few minutes, the blood stopped clogging his throat, finally allowing him to breathe; and his heart started going back to its normal rhythm.

Zoro remained on his knees, bent over with his forehead pressed against the floor, his hands closed in a fist at each side of his head. He was trembling slightly, still not recovered from the attack.

"Why is this happening again?" he asked to no one in particular. He had been getting better. But then, ever since the nightmares started, his heart seemed to have come back to the condition it'd been right after Thriller Bark.

He had gotten worse again. It didn't make any sense.

He punched the floor in frustration, "Damn it!"

The swordsman stared at his clenched fists, and sighed; it would not help to take it on the floor. He rose from his knees and sat down, leaning on the crow's nest's bench. He needed to distract himself. He glanced at his weights, at the other side of the room. He doubted training his brains out would help his heart at the moment. He had tried before, and it had only made it worse.

Suddenly noticing his shirt was somewhat wet, he looked down at his chest.

Blood.

And a whole lot of it too…

"Shit" he mumbled. Just what he needed…If any of the others saw his bloody shirt they would probably freak out; and that was the last thing he wanted.

He glanced at the windows. By the position of the moon, he guessed it was around midnight; everyone should be asleep by then.

"I better go change then," he said to himself as he stood up and chuckled, "If Chopper saw this he'd probably have a fit."

He made his way towards the trap door and climbed down to the deck. He could only hope he didn't find anyone before he changed his shirt.

* * *

Nami yawned. She looked around the room and saw that Vivi was already fast asleep, curled up on her bed, with Carue snoring quietly beside her; even Robin – who usually stayed up reading until very late – had fallen asleep on the sofa, her book still open on her lap.

Nami'd been working on the map from the last island they had been to. It was coming out pretty nicely, so she thought she might as well finish it that night and get it over with. But, if she expected to stay up until she was done, she would need coffee.

She sighed, "I hope Sanji-kun didn't lock the kitchen…"

Nami walked quietly to the door, without making a sound so as to not wake her friends up. Once she had closed the door, she moved towards the galley.

It was so dark in the hallway that she had a hard time finding her way to the deck, but once she did, she found it completely illuminated by the moonlight. It was so peaceful she felt a smile tug on her lips. "So beautiful…" she said quietly.

She turned to the galley, and started walking towards the door, but then she heard the sound of steps on the grass and smiled. Those heavy boots could be none other than Zoro's, and when she turned around, she found that she was right.

Nami was somewhat surprised at what she saw, though. The moonlight made Zoro's hair seem lighter, his earrings gleaming with the silver reflection of the moon. His eyes seemed even darker at night; with that silvery glint that was the reflection of the moonlight…he looked so handsome under the full moon.

Zoro saw her and stopped dead on his tracks, and as his dark eyes met hers, Nami felt as though a volt of electricity had passed right through her.

But then she noticed the look in his eyes…fear? Guilt? The navigator tilted her head curiously when the swordsman sighed (thing that she found very rude), and just as she was going to ask what his problem was…

She saw it.

Zoro's shirt, which seemed to be purely white under the moon, was stained by dark marks on his chest.

Blood.

She gasped, and ran towards him, afraid to scream, in case she would wake the others.

"Zoro!" she whispered once she got closer to him. He just looked at her, face devoid of all emotion, "What happened?"

"Nothing." He tried to move past her, but she gripped his shirt and made him turn to look at her.

"Don't lie to me!" she cried. Nami felt all the tension and worry of that last week building up, forming a lump in her throat. He was not alright, he was not healed.

Zoro was still ill.

He just looked at her, his face unchanged, but Nami could see a hint of emotion reflected in his black eyes. They looked so sad. She bit her lip and looked down, hiding her eyes from view.

"You don't have to lie to me," she whispered, "I'm not an idiot. I know you're not alright."

Zoro just stood there while she gripped at his shirt with all her strength. He knew she wasn't an idiot. He knew Nami had figured out what was wrong with him a long time ago. Still, he couldn't bring himself to tell her the only thing she had yet to know. He didn't want her to feel guilty about what happened with Kuma. He couldn't put that weight on her shoulders; it was his to carry.

Nami felt the tears starting to form and blinked them away. Why wasn't he saying anything?

"Talk to me," she pleaded, "Why is there so much blood?" she let out a quiet sob, "What happened?" her hands were still on his chest, forming a fist, her trembling knuckles almost white. Her fingers were getting red with his blood.

Then Zoro's hands were on hers, pulling them gently from his chest, but still not letting her go. Nami let her head hang while he kept her red hands from his bloodied shirt. But then he let her hands go, and she didn't have the will to move. She just stood there, eyes on the ground; arms falling limply to her sides.

Nami felt Zoro move, and thought for a moment that he would just leave her standing there; but then she felt a hand on the back of her head, and she was pulled into the swordsman's chest. Her eyes widened, and she finally heard him speak.

"I'm sorry, Nami." he said softly, and the navigator felt the tears stream down her face as she bit her lip to keep herself from sobbing, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. He sounded so tired. "But you're going to have to trust me on this…"

_But why?! It's not fair!_

Zoro smiled; not his usual smirk, but a sad smile. Nami was strong; one only had to be at the receiving end of one of her punches to notice. But, as strong as she was…she was also very fragile; and seeing her like this made the swordsman's heart clench. The fact that he was the one to blame for it did not help matters either.

_Please, don't cry..._

Nami felt as Zoro's hand moved to her chin, and raised her eyes to meet his. Her caramel brown eyes widened as she saw him smile. It was a warm, comforting smile; one that she hadn't seen very often.

He dried her tears with his thumb, looking at her with the saddest look she'd ever seen on Zoro's black eyes. He seemed so weakened and exhausted…Nami had never thought she would ever see him like this. She wanted the strong, stupid Zoro back. The idiot who would talk back to her and curse and mumble under his breath when she made him do errands for her. The moron who would send her to hell and call her _greedy witch_ every time she blackmailed him with raising his debt. She wanted him back in good health so that everything could go back to normal again; so that the knots in her stomach and heart would go away…

"But Zoro, I can't just let you--" the look he gave her made her stop midsentence.

"Please." Zoro closed his eyes, "Don't make me say it…I don't want anyone else worrying. I don't want _you_ worrying over me…"

Nami felt the tears come back and she couldn't help herself. She buried herself into Zoro's chest and held on to him tightly; almost afraid that he would disappear if she let him go.

Zoro's eyes widened slightly at her actions, his gaze softening as he heard Nami's quiet sobs.

He was contemplating whether he should wrap his arms around her or not when she suddenly pulled back slightly and punched him lightly in the chest.

"You idiot," she said between sobs and tears, "Everyone's already worried. Luffy's smile is not sincere anymore, Chopper cries at nights, Sanji's smoking more than usual, Robin's exhausted, Vivi's sad, Franky locks himself in his workshop, Usopp's not in the mood for stories, Brook only plays sad songs and I--" she paused, "…I'm worried about you…"

Zoro closed his eyes again and sighed. He knew all that.

"And what do you want me to do?" he asked bitterly, "Just go and make them worry even more? Make them feel guilty over something that had nothing to do with them?"

Nami looked up at Zoro, his eyes were still closed and he looked almost in pain. She wanted to know what had happened so badly…and yet…Nami knew she was just being selfish, and that it would only hurt him more to make them carry his burden; she knew they were probably better off not knowing. After all, she didn't want Zoro feeling worse than he already seemed to do. The navigator smiled sadly at the swordsman, and put her hand over his heart.

Zoro's eyes darted open and he looked down at her, confused.

"At least promise me one thing…" she whispered, looking at the hand over the swordsman's heart, "Promise me that you won't lie to me if you're in pain…and that you'll get better..."

Nami looked up at Zoro and smiled, "…Or I'll add 1,000 Beri to your debt."

Zoro's eyes widened momentarily before his gaze softened. He chuckled lightly, and smiled at the now smiling navigator.

The swordsman's smile then turned into his usual smirk, and he ruffled her hair. Nami yelped quietly, not having expecting that from him.

When he saw the expression on her face, Zoro barked out a laugh. At least she wasn't crying anymore.

"Stop worrying so much, woman."

Nami blinked as the shock faded away from her face, and she found herself smiling playfully at the annoying swordsman.

She stuck her tongue at him, and Zoro's smirk widened. The navigator giggled, wiping the tears away with her sleeve.

Just then, Zoro's hand fell from Nami's – now slightly tangled – orange hair as he bent down, giving the petite navigator a light kiss on the forehead, whispering a soft "Thank you" before making his way towards the men's quarters.

Nami looked after him with wide eyes, watching him disappear through the door.

"D-did he--? Did he just--?" she mumbled with a dumbfounded expression, still staring at the door.

She unconsciously moved her hand to her forehead, where _Roronoa Zoro_ had just kissed her, and found herself blushing at the very thought of what had just happened. After spacing out for a minute, Nami blinked and realized she'd been staring at the door that lead to the men's quarters with her mouth open (who knows for how long) and, slightly embarrassed, she remembered her very much needed cup of coffee.

With a lingering smile on her lips and her cheeks tinted a light pink, the navigator walked to the galley to get her cup of coffee.

Strangely enough, she felt a lot better. Maybe it had been the crying what released all the stress that had built up in the last week…

…or maybe it was something else…

* * *

Zoro reached the men's quarters blushing like a mad man.

"Why did I just do that?" he mumbled under his breath. He'd let himself get swept away by the moment and had kissed NAMI!!...Although it had really just been a peck on the forehea--but still!! A kiss was a kiss! WHAT THE HELLWAS HE THINKING!?

"Argh! As soon as she gets back from shock she'll probably raise my debt again…" he groaned quietly in exasperation. "Oh, who cares? That witch can think whatever she wants…just forget it ever happened, Zoro…that's right…forget about it…" the flustered swordsman took a deep breath and shook it off.

He silently walked between the hammocks, watching the relaxed faces of his sleeping nakama.

Usopp seemed to be dreaming he was being chased – Zoro chuckled – like usual; Chopper had fallen asleep on his medicine book again, the sweet thing. The cook had fallen from his hammock and was sprawled on the floor, mumbling something about "beautiful ladies" and "Mellorine~" that had the swordsman heaving a sigh at the curly brow's antics; but as he walked past him, he heard Sanji mumble something about Robin, and smiled, "That crap cook is so clueless…" he sighed. Franky and Brook were each on one sofa, the Cyborg occupying most of his, while Brook covered only a small fraction of his makeshift bed…he was mumbling something about panties… – Zoro shook his head slightly, smiling at the weirdness of his friends. As he reached his captain's hammock, Zoro stopped.

Luffy seemed to be having a nightmare. He was frowning and shuffling around in his sleep. When he heard him whimper, Zoro thought of waking him up …but then he heard Luffy say his name. He sounded scared, worried. The swordsman sighed. Luffy was his best friend and captain…and seeing him like that made Zoro want to shake him awake and assure him that he was just fine; but Luffy would've known he was lying, and Zoro didn't feel ready to face his captain's questioning, concerned look.

Still, he couldn't stand watching him move around his hammock with that worried face either…

Just when Zoro was about to shake Luffy's shoulder, the boy's face relaxed with a sigh of contentment.

"Vivi…" he whispered softly, a small smile forming on his lips.

Zoro chuckled, and let his outstretched hand fall limp at his side. Luffy's nightmare was gone; he didn't need to worry anymore.

He made his way to the closet and withdrew a black button-up shirt after peeling off his bloodied white one. He slid the clean shirt on – not bothering to button it up – and threw the reddened shirt deep into the closet, hoping no one would find it until he could wash it the following morning.

With that done, Zoro sighed and walked out of the room, glancing briefly at his nakama before closing the door behind him.

* * *

After getting her coffee, Nami left the galley to finish the map she'd left unfinished in her room.

She was stepping out of the galley, delighting herself with a sip of the hot beverage, when she saw Zoro walking back towards the crow's nest. His white tattered shirt had been replaced by a black one that had been left unbuttoned, leaving his scarred chest in perfect view.

Nami smiled.

"Good night, Zoro~!" she sang teasingly, knowing that the swordsman still had a couple more hours left to keep watch before he could go to sleep.

Zoro scowled.

"'Night, witch." he replied, loud enough for her to hear. He could have sworn he heard Nami giggle, and it brought a smile to his face.

"Moron."

"Wench."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 6**

Sanji was having the most wonderful dream he'd had in weeks! _Lots of beautiful ladies…Nami-swan and Vivi-chwan sunbathing on deck…_he sighed_…and Robin-chwan…_She seemed to be the protagonist of his most of his dreams these days…the cook mused.

Any other thoughts were interrupted when he heard Luffy whine, and the cook was brought back from the fantastic world of dreams to the sad truth he'd had to deal with for the last couple nights.

He sighed, Luffy had been having nightmares about his first mate…it had started about a week ago or so…but Sanji had only started acting on it two days ago, when Luffy's whimpers became too much for the cook.

Sanji frowned, his eyes still closed…_a week_…that was about the same time Zoro had started acting strangely…it seemed the shitty marimo couldn't get any sleep lately.

He groaned, that crap swordsman didn't look like he was faring too well either, he seemed exhausted and he had those dark rings under his eyes…DAMN IT! Why did that stupid good-for-nothing marimo have to make him and all the crew worry?! It was already enough that he had almost died back th—

Sanji stopped himself from thinking back to that day…he already felt impotent enough as it was…

Luffy whined again, and the cook opened his eyes, ready to get up and calm him down. It was only then that he noticed there was someone standing by his captain.

_Marimo?_

Sanji stared bemusedly at the swordsman, what was he doing in there? Wasn't he supposed to be in the crow's nest? And why the hell was he just standing there? _WAKE HIM UP, YOU DOLT!_

"…Zoro…" Luffy's worried whimpers seemed louder than they really were in the silent room.

Sanji bit his lip and closed his eyes.

_Shit_

One look at the swordsman said it all, and Sanji felt the urge to stand up and kick that sad expression from his idiotic mug.

It seemed like Zoro was still deliberating whether he should try to calm down Luffy or not, but in the end it looks like he opted to wake his captain up, even if it meant he would have to face Luffy's worried gaze.

As he was just about to take hold of Luffy's shoulder, the rubber man sighed happily and mumbled a certain blue haired princess' name.

Sanji smiled…as did Zoro, who chuckled softly and turned to walk towards…_the closet?_ _What the hell? Since when has the marimo changed clothes out of his own free will? Does he have a fev--_

The cook's eyes widened as Zoro turned slightly, just enough for the cook to see the blood that stained his shirt. Had he had another attack? He seemed fine now…but there was quite a lot of blood…more than there had ever been on the other coughing fits he'd had…was he really getting worse?

Zoro, completely oblivious to Sanji's stare, changed into a black shirt and – after a moment of hesitation – threw the bloodied shirt deep inside the closet. After that he just walked to the door and closed it behind him after giving one last glance to his sleeping nakama.

…

Sanji sat up and sighed, dragging a hand through his blonde locks.

"That idiot…" he mumbled quietly.

He looked at the clock and saw there was still an hour left until his shift…_Bah! To hell with that! I need a drink_. _And I bet the shitty marimo could do with one as well._

That said, Sanji rose to his feet, got a clean shirt from the closet – giving a short glance to the white and red rag at the deepest corner of it – and shook his head slightly as headed for the showers.

As much as he needed a drink; first things first…after waking up, a gentleman takes a shower and cleans himself up for the ladies.

And with those thoughts in mind, a smirking Sanji headed for the door thinking of his goddesses…especially certain archeologist that had been driving him crazier than normal lately…

* * *

Zoro stared at the sea from his post at the crow's nest. It all seemed so calm…

"Almost too calm…" he mused as he watched the almost unmoving waters, "Like the calmness before the storm…"

He thought back to the nightmares that attacked him non-stop in his sleep. Was that even normal? Dreaming about things like that for a week? And the attacks? What the hell was that about?

Zoro groaned in annoyance, dragging his hands through his short green hair, and slamming the back of his head against the wall.

"This is so damn confusing…" he muttered under his breath.

Just then, the trap door opened, making Zoro jump in surprise, and the last person he thought he'd be seeing that night stepped inside with a pair of bottles of rum.

"What the hell, ero-cook…" he growled halfheartedly – he really wasn't in the mood for a fight right now – "Go back to sleep, your shift's not until an hour."

The shit-cook scowled.

"Shut up, moss for brains!" he snarled, "I couldn't sleep, and I thought you might want a drink."

Sanji passed him one of the bottles, which Zoro caught with ease, raising an eyebrow at the cook.

"Oh?" he uncorked the bottle with his teeth, spitting it out, and smelled its contents with a dubious expression, "…is it poisoned?"

Sanji felt like kicking the marimo's head off, but managed to calm his wrath by throwing him one of the cushions of the little room.

"OF COURSE NOT YOU SHITHEAD!! JUST DRINK IT ALREADY!!" he roared, his face red with fury. Zoro could have sworn he saw smoke come out of the cook's ears…and he couldn't help it.

To Sanji's surprise, Zoro laughed. He _laughed_. The cook was so taken aback he forgot his wrath and watched his friend laugh.

_What the hell?_

He smiled, seemed like the cactus-head was feeling somewhat better. He uncorked his own bottle and sat down on the bench, a smirk on his face.

"What the hell are you laughing at, shitty swordsman?" he asked with mock annoyance.

Zoro stopped laughing and looked at his friend/rival with a smirk.

"Nothing you need to worry 'bout, shit-cook," he replied, tilting his head back as he took a swig of rum.

Just then, Sanji thought that maybe…maybe they had been exaggerating.

At that moment, sitting around having a drink with the stupid marimo…it was as if everything was back to normal (although he wasn't sure if he'd actually sat down and had a drink like this many times before…).

The cook felt something akin to hope start building up in his heart… the hope that maybe his friend was getting better, and he wouldn't have to see the crew worry about the idiot anymore.

But then Zoro's smirk faded as he stared at his rum, and all the exhaustion was back on his face.

"So…" the green head muttered, sheepishly, "Anything new with your _Robin-chwan_?"

Sanji knew he was trying to tease him, joke around, lighten the mood…maybe make him throw some insults at him…anything to try and drive the subject away from himself. But the cook was having none of that.

"Don't give me that shit." He growled through clenched teeth.

Now it was Zoro who looked genuinely confused.

"Huh?"

"I saw the blood, Zoro," he said coldly, and Zoro's expression changed back into one completely devoid of emotion, "You're not fooling me, what the hell is wrong with you? I haven't seen you napping on deck for over a week, now. Seriously, how long has it been since you got some shuteye?"

Zoro glared.

"It's none of your business, cook." he snarled.

That made Sanji mad. In a second, he'd thrown a kick at the swordsman's chest, making him slam against the wall with a grunt.

The bottle had crashed against the floor, breaking to pieces, as the rum wet the floor.

The swordsman tried to take a hold of his swords, but Sanji was faster; in the blink of an eye, he'd kicked them out of reach – making Zoro growl in anger. He started making a move towards his katana, but again Sanji grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him harshly against the wall.

"I think it damn right is my business, asshole!" he roared, "Everyone's fucking worried about you! So stop taking on every damn single burden over your shoulders! I know you don't want to tell them about Thriller Bark!"

Zoro glared at him in such way that Sanji would have caught fire, but the cook was not faced in the least.

"But this is different!" he yelled, slamming him once more against the wall, "So just tell us why the hell can't you sleep you damn swordsman!! What the fucking hell is wrong with you?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

Zoro snarled and pushed the cook away from him. Sanji tripped back, slightly surprised at the sudden outburst, but did not stop glaring at the green haired man. He was going to get an answer, whether he wanted it or not.

"What do you mean _'you don't know'_?" he scowled, "People don't just get insomnia for nothing, marimo, and I'm telling you I **saw** the fucking blood! So stop lying and tell me already!" he yelled.

"I told you I don't know!" he yelled, "I have no idea of what's happening to me."

Zoro's glare faltered and Sanji could see all the exhaustion and helplessness back in his eyes.

The swordsman's strength seemed to leave him as he let himself fall on his knees. He was so damn tired. His head hurt like hell, and his eyes were dry. He needed to sleep. But he didn't want to see those images again; he didn't want to have another attack.

The cook's glare disappeared and Sanji almost felt bad for yelling at the obviously overwhelmed swordsman. He just stood still, quiet, slowly taking out a cigarette.

"So you don't have the slightest idea?" he asked again, cooling down from his outburst as he put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it, "Nothing at all?"

Zoro shook his head, still on his knees, eyes fixed on the ground.

"No," he replied, "I just know it all started with those weird nightmares…" he mumbled halfheartedly, "And then the attacks came back…every time I close my eyes I see horrible images of things that I have yet not lived through…heck I'm not even _in_those nightmares, it's all people I haven't seen in years, and some I have not seen in my life… then I wake up and…"

Sanji waited for him to continue, but as he noticed the swordsman seemed a little out of it, he decided to remind him.

"And?"

"…my heart hurts."

Sanji took a drag of his cigarette and let it out slowly.

_Nightmares? Wasn't that just what--?_

"Luffy's been having nightmares too…" he mused.

"I know…"

"Don't you think it's weird that you both started having these weird ass nightmares basically at the same time?"

Zoro looked pensive, but after a couple seconds shrugged and looked at the cook, "I guess…but what do you suggest? Some freak who's suddenly decided to mess with our heads via nightmare?"

Sanji took another drag; processing the information he'd been given. So who was the marimo dreaming about?

"Who are these people in your nightmares anyway?" he finally asked.

Zoro sighed.

"Two of my childhood friends," he muttered, "I haven't seen them since we were kids, and yet I keep seeing them in what seems to be their adult form…and they keep getting tortured by the same sadistic freak."

Sanji sighed and let himself drop on the crow's nest sofa.

"Do you remember their names?" he asked softly.

Zoro nodded, "Yeah, the guy's name was Datte…he's around Robin's age, probably a bit older…" he replied, "And her name was Ir--" His words were interrupted by the sound of an explosion.

The room shook, and both the cook and the swordsman tried to keep their balance as they looked out the window, where there was nothing but the dark sea.

"What the hell was that?" Sanji's question was ignored, as Zoro seemed to have distinguished something coming from the…wait…_mist?_

"Do you remember there being any mist when you came?" he asked the cook.

Sanji shook his head, "Are you kidding? The night was so clear I didn't even need a lamp."

Zoro looked out the window again, a frown marring his features as he squinted, trying to see better.

"Well then, what the hell is that?" he asked, pointing at the grey mist that was starting to cover the horizon.

Sanji looked out and saw the mist. Only it couldn't be just normal mist. This one was different… it moved…by itself. Like it was undulating _purposely_ towards them…

_Oh shit!_

He didn't react until Zoro had already grabbed his swords and ran towards the trap door, his exhaustion forgotten at the thought of an enemy approaching.

"Oi, dartboard!" he yelled, "Wake the others, I'm gonna take a closer look." And he disappeared in the night.

Sanji cursed and jumped out the crow's nest right after the marimo.

As they both reached the deck, Zoro ran towards the lion's head, hands already on his katana as he reached his captain's favorite spot while Sanji stormed into the bunkroom, pushing everyone off their hammocks and yelling to the idiots with a very loud and angry "Wake the hell up!", making sure everyone was up (or crashing on the floor) before darting off again towards the girl's quarters to knock on their door (in a much more polite and caring way, mind you).

All the while, Zoro was staring out in the sea. The mist was still there, hiding the horizon from view, and if he squinted, he could see the shadows of ships moving within the fog.

Marines? No, those ships weren't big enough…The swordsman strained his eyes to try to count the slowly approaching vessels; eyes widening as he saw it was not just one or two ships what were coming in on them.

"One, two…three, four, fi—what the hell!" he mumbled as he realized that there were still more coming.

The sound of running feet could be heard from behind him, and Zoro turned around to face his crew.

"Hey Zoro!" Luffy chirped, happy to see his first mate was alright but still confused as to what the problem was, "What's up?"

"Yo," he answered with a smirk before pointing back to the ships with his thumb, "I'm afraid we have company, captain."

"Zoro!!" the swordsman rolled his eyes as the navigator's loud yell reached his ears, "What the hell! I was finally falling asleep!!"

"Shut up, witch!" he yelled back, "There's a weird mist up front and a whole bunch of ships coming at us!"

"What?!" she yelled, pushing him out of the way to take a better look, "Get out of my way!"

"Geez, woman" he mumbled as he stepped back, "So aggressive…"

As Nami studied the mist, trying to figure out how it could have appeared with so little moisture in the air, the rest of the Straw Hats were still trying to clear their heads from the sleep.

Vivi looked like she couldn't quite keep her eyes open, leaning her head on Luffy's shoulder as he laughed at Franky's complains to Sanji about not getting enough sleep.

"Seriously, bro!" he yelled in outrage, "What's the big idea?! It's three in the morning!! Now I'm certainly NOT gonna feel SUPA for the rest of the day AT ALL!! You completely obliterated my sleeping schedule!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS!?"

"What I DO understand, you shitty Cyborg, is that you are the MOST ANNOYING IDIOT I'VE EVER MET!!!!" Sanji yelled back, growing tired of the shipwright's complains. "You're getting even more infuriating than the stupid marimo, and that's saying something!" he growled as he looked through his pockets for a cigarette; he hadn't had a smoke in hours which, for Sanji's chain-smoking lungs, is quite an eternity.

Zoro turned to the cook with a somewhat annoyed expression. "Is that your way of complimenting me, _shit-cook_?" he snarled, a vein pulsing on his forehead.

Sanji turned to face him, a scowl on his face, "Who said anything about complimenting you, _crap swordsman_?"

As they both started glaring daggers at each other, Usopp interfered in the quarrel by whining in a very tired tone.

"Hey guys!" he complained while pinching the bridge of his long nose, "Could you please knock it off? I have a headache!!"

His complains seemed to no avail, and the pair seemed one step away from starting a fight right there.

Usopp sighed and gave a pleading look to the amused archeologist, who smiled at him and turned to Sanji.

"Cook-san, maybe you should make some coffee for the crew." Robin said sweetly.

"Hai, Robin-chwan!!" he cooed as he ran towards the kitchen in a cloud of hearts, eager to please the beautiful archeologist, and completely forgetting his brawl with the moss head.

Zoro did not have time to react to the cook's retreat as a furry creature latched to his leg and started climbing up to his shoulders with a very sleepy face.

As he saw the reindeer's face, Zoro suppressed a smile; the poor thing looked ready to drop.

"Zowooo~" Chopper whined, holding on to the swordsman's head as he sat on Zoro's shoulder, "I'm tired…" he yawned, tilting dangerously over.

Zoro caught the little reindeer in his arms as he started falling, and managed to sit him again on his shoulders, one leg at each side of his neck. As soon as he was put into a more comfortable position, Chopper fell asleep immediately, his cheeks pressed against Zoro's hair, already snoring lightly.

They all kept a quiet conversation as they waited for Nami to figure out what the whole deal with the mist was, and while Sanji prepared coffee for the sleepy ones, which didn't take that long.

"Here you go sleepy-heads," he said as he walked up to them with a tray full of cups of coffee.

Usopp smiled happily at the sight of coffee, and threw himself at the cook with his arms open.

"Sanji-kuuuun! My savior~!!" he sang as he tried to glomp the cook who, even while holding the tray, still managed to keep the sniper away from him by sticking his shoe on the long-nose's face.

"Hold it there, shitty long-nose! I didn't do it for any of you dolts to begin with; it was all for my beautiful Robin-chwan!" he scowled angrily at the sniper, who was still trying to wrap his arms around him, now more out of a wish to tease the him than anything else.

Robin smiled in amusement, but one look at the sleeping Chopper told her the reindeer was about to wake up, and the little creature needed the sleep. With that thought, she made a couple arms grow out of the sniper and throw him off the struggling cook.

Once dropped on the floor, Usopp looked up to Robin with a confused and offended expression.

"_Nagahana-kun_, you should keep quiet, you'll wake doctor-san." She said with a serene smile.

Usopp glanced at the furry animal still sleeping on the swordsman's shoulders and instantly felt bad for making all that noise.

"Robin-chwan is so kind!" Sanji cooed as he passed/threw a mug at the swordsman, who caught it with a scowl on his face.

Sanji's attention was then drawn to his laughing captain, and the tired blue haired princess leaning on his shoulder. He smiled warmly and walked up to them.

"Vivi-chan" he said softly, smiling as the princess looked up at him, "Here, it'll keep you awake."

"Thank you, Sanji-san." She smiled sweetly, grabbing a mug from the tray. Sanji could have swooned if he hadn't been interrupted by the sound of gagging and coughing coming from his captain, who was sticking his tongue out looking extremely disgusted.

"SANJI! This tastes horrible!!!" he whined as he tried to spit any remains of coffee from his mouth.

"That's because it's COFFEE! You crap kid!" he snarled, snatching the cup from Luffy's hands, "I made cocoa for you, here!"

Luffy immediately forgot the bitter taste of the coffee and grabbed the hot chocolate that the cook was offering him with a happy cheer.

"YAY!! Thanks Sanji!!" he sang with a laugh.

Sanji sighed and started walking towards the navigator, who was still immersed in a study of the unusual mist. But before he could get any further, Franky stepped in his path.

"Oi, cook-bro, where's my cola?" he complained.

"Forgot it in the fridge, shitty robot," Sanji said with a scowl, "So move your metal ass and go get it yourself."

The cyborg huffed in annoyance, and started making his way towards the kitchen, mumbling about how the cook wanted to intoxicate him with coffee.

"Wait, Franky!" everyone turned to the navigator, who was still looking at the mist with a worried expression. The cyborg walked back, sensing the nervousness in the redhead's voice.

Zoro walked up to Nami with Chopper still on his shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he asked; a serious look on his black eyes.

Nami turned to him and the rest of the crew, her face worried.

"That can't be mist." she announced.

"What?" everyone asked in unison; confusion present in all their faces.

"What do you mean navigator-san?"

"There is not enough moisture in the air for there to be mist," she explained, "especially for such a large fog to form."

"So it's a mystery mist!" Luffy said; a fist on his palm as though he understood exactly what Nami had said.

Nami scowled, and Zoro hit the back of his captain's head lightly.

"No, you idiot," he explained, "she means it's not mist…I had been thinking about it too…it smells weird…burnt…"

"Like ash." Everyone looked at the reindeer in surprise; they hadn't realized he'd woken up.

"Are you sure, Tony-kun?" the blue haired princess looked at the "mist" with a worried look, trying to imagine what could cause such an amount of ashes to cover the horizon.

"Yeah," he answered, "I'm positive."

They all looked at the cloud of ashes. It seemed to be fading a little, as the ships were more visible now, and they were starting to come out of the mist.

"Black ships?" Sanji wondered out loud, voicing the question that had crossed everyone's mind.

"W-w-what are t-they p-planning? Are they p-p-p-pirates?" Usopp's knees were trembling, his face covered in cold sweat as he saw more ships escape the mist of ashes.

"No," everyone looked at the archeologist, "I've heard stories, of a fleet of black ships that cleave the seas enveloped in mist and ashes, carriers of the dark lord's souls…bringing the cursed back to him…"

They all stared at Robin in an absolute silence; except Usopp…who had fainted as soon as he heard the last sentence…

Nami looked pale, her friend didn't seem to be joking; and the sight of the black ships and the cloud of ashes was enough to make her believe the part of the dark lord as well.

"Robin, wha--?" her words were interrupted by an explosion.

They all turned to the ships in alarm, Chopper holding on to Zoro for dear life as the swordsman unsheathed two of his swords.

Something had blown up in one of the ships, and they all gaped as they saw a flash of blue fly to the sky.

"What is that?" the cook's cigarette had fallen to the floor as he saw the blue figure widen as a large set of wings flew open.

The blue figure started beating its wings and flying away from the ships…and towards the Thousand Sunny.

"It's coming closer!!" Chopper screamed in alarm.

"Wait! That--It's a person!" everyone looked at the sniper, who was using his goggles to take a closer look at the blue wings. "A woman!"

"What?!" Sanji yelled, getting a telescope from the ship's side-compartments, and taking a look at the blue figure. His mouth falling open at whatever he saw.

"Sanji-kun!" Nami yelled worriedly, "What is it?"

"I-it-it's…"

"WHAT?!"

"…It's an angel…" everyone dropped to the floor as soon as those words left the cook's mouth.

Their angry yells were interrupted as the black ships started shooting their canons. They seemed to be trying to hit the flying woman…who was flying directly towards them…which meant the ships...were pointing directly towards them!

"We need to help her!" the reindeer screamed, his kind heart worried about the flying stranger. "They're going to hurt her!"

"Franky!" the navigator yelled, "We need to get out of here! As soon as that girl reaches us we're flying out of here! Get the Coup de Burst ready!"

"Got it!" the shipwright yelled as he ran towards the back of the ship.

"Everyone else!" she continued, "Start getting the ship ready!"

They all started moving towards the deck, and, as Sanji looked back to the ships, he noticed the swordsman had not moved, and was still staring at the mist.

"Oi! Marimo!!" he yelled, "What the hell are you doing!? Get your ass on deck!!"

Everyone looked back at Zoro, who seemed oblivious to the cook's yells. Sanji ran towards him, ready to kick the stupid mosshead back to earth.

The look on the swordsman's face stopped him on his tracks.

Zoro was staring at the blue wings with wide eyes, looking like he'd seen a ghost.

"I-Iryann?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 7**

"I-Iryann?"

"What?" Sanji looked at the swordsman with a look of genuine confusion. He followed Zoro's eyes and saw the girl flying towards them.

"Do you know her marimo?" He asked.

Zoro got back from his trance as he looked at Sanji and blinked. He seemed so out of place, Sanji thought of reminding him of his question.

"Do you know that girl, shit swordsman?" he repeated, slightly annoyed.

"I'm not sure it's her…it couldn't be—she's—" Zoro looked so confused that the cook almost felt bad for him…_almost_ being the key word here.

"Oi! Earth to marimo!!" he yelled, "What the hell are you mumbling about!?"

"I—" Zoro's words were interrupted by another explosion and both of them looked at the ships in alarm.

A long metal stake embedded itself mere inches beside Zoro's foot.

"What the hell!" Sanji yelled in anger, "Those bastards!"

The cook looked at the angel (melloriiiine~) approaching them. The girl, Iryann (as Zoro had called her), was just about ten meters away from the ship, her wings moving languidly behind her, as if she were moving out of sheer will power.

Now that she was closer, Zoro tried to distinguish her features. The ash blond hair and the long braid soaring behind her were enough to convince him of who she was. Even if her icy blue wings should have been a good enough give-away…_Idiot_

Another shot was heard from the ships, and this time it reached its target. A rain of stakes showered upon her; two of them piercing her wings while another stabbed her right shoulder. A last metallic stake pierced through her left leg. The girl yelled in pain as her wings and strength seemed to fail her, and started falling towards the sea.

"Shit!" Zoro ran towards the railing as the girl hit the surface. He jumped without a moment's hesitation and dived into the dark waters.

Sanji cursed and turned to the rest of the crew.

"OI LUFFY!" he yelled, trying to call their attention. As soon as they saw Sanji standing alone before the railing and that both the girl and Zoro were nowhere in sight, they all ran towards Sanji in alarm.

A minute passed and neither Zoro nor the girl had broken the surface.

"I don't see them!" Chopper cried, scared for his nakama and the stranger.

"Did she get hit?" Nami asked the cook, not having witnessed anything that had happened after she'd left.

Sanji nodded.

"Those bastards shot a rain of metal stakes at her. Two on her wings, one to her shoulder and another to her leg," the navigator winced, "After that she fell into the water and the marimo jumped in to save her."

"Why isn't he coming out!?" Usopp screamed from the railing, fearing the swordsman had drowned in his attempt to save the girl.

Luffy stared at the dark waters intently, not daring to blink even once for fear he might miss something moving under the surface. Nami bit her lip as Chopper held on to Sanji's head for dear life.

Just then, the swordsman broke the surface with a yell, taking in as much air as he could, his lungs burning from lack of oxygen.

"There he is!" Luffy yelled, stretching an arm towards his first mate, "ZORO!"

Zoro managed to grab his captain's hand and held on as he was pulled back to the ship, the limp body of the blue winged girl hanging from his other arm.

As soon as they reached the deck, Zoro put the girl on the grass and let a very alarmed Chopper examine her. As he was trying to take the stakes from her wings, he noticed they were starting to shatter…shatter? Wait! They were made of--

"Ice!" he exclaimed, "Her wings are made of ice!"

"What?" Everyone got closer to the unconscious blond and stared incredulously at her wings.

"SO COOL!" Luffy screamed with stars in his eyes.

However, the joy was short-lived as a second rain of stakes was shot at the Sunny, embedding deeply on the deck.

"Oh, no they didn't!" yelled a furious cyborg, making way towards the Sunny's prow, with every intention of using his SUPA canon against the black ships. "Oi, long-nose! Let's go!"

"Yea—"

"Wait!" Everyone turned to the girl on the grass, who was struggling to get on her feet, her ice blue eyes filled with hard determination, "I'll…do it."

"Don't move!" Chopper yelled, "You shouldn't walk with your leg like that!"

"No!" She insisted, weakly limping her way towards the railing, "It's my fault…they're here…I'll…get rid of them…" she rasped as she slowly managed to step onto the railing.

"You really shouldn—"

"Let her." Everyone turned to their captain, who was staring at the struggling young woman with a serious look in his face.

"Oi, Luffy!" Sanji yelled in anger.

"Luffy!" Nami looked at the straw hat captain with barely contained rage, "She can barely stand!"

"Just let her." Luffy answered, the serious look in his face prevailing despite the navigator's anger. Vivi glanced at him with slight worry_…Luffy…_

Everyone then turned to the girl, who had looked at Luffy and smiled.

"Thank you," she said before turning her eyes towards the slowly approaching enemy.

She closed her eyes, and raised her hands towards the ships, reciting words in a language that not even Robin could understand; words that echoed over the sea like a song hummed by the waves themselves.

Her body then began to glow with an icy blue aura, and her wings grew back to their original size; shining like pure ice and sparkling snowflakes.

They all watched with an amazed expression (Brook's mouth falling open halfway to the floor), as they saw her start levitating from the railing, and rise to the height of the crow's nest. Her hair shuffled by the wind as her long braid danced with the sea breeze.

And then…everything seemed to stop. Not a sound was heard; not from the sea, not from the ships, not even their own breathing…as the girl stopped her chant the world seemed to quiet down, awaiting her move.

The girl then opened her eyes, and spread her arms.

What followed was something none of them had been expecting. From the depths of the ocean, hundreds of ice spikes broke the surface, impaling the black ships with an echo of sharpened glass. They all gasped in fear and awe as the once black mass of ships and grey mist was transformed in, what seemed a giant joint of stalagmites. Like a white, sharp flower enveloped in a snowy white mist.

"T-that was—" Sanji managed to stutter.

"AWESOME!" Luffy, Chopper and Usopp chorused; breaking the mood for a millisecond.

Their cheers were interrupted by the sound of braking glass, and as they looked up in alarm, they saw the girl's wings had shattered in millions of tiny crystals, falling lightly on the deck like the first snows of the year.

It was only then that she closed her eyes and let herself be claimed by gravity.

"Iryann!" They all glanced at Zoro in confusion, as the swordsman sprinted to catch the blond girl in her arms before she reached the floor, his own exhaustion making his knees buck beneath him as he fell under her weight.

The crew gathered around the two as Iryann opened her eyes slightly and smiled at the wide eyed, still out of breath swordsman.

"Longtime no see…Zoro…" she said softly before closing her eyes, and letting the exhaustion take hold of her mind.

Silence reigned over the ship for a moment until Luffy flopped down beside his first mate.

"Who is she, Zoro?"

**-----------------------------**

**Well! Iryann's first appearance! I'm a little iffy as to how I'm going to describe her hair...it's a bit complicated...short but with a long braid....**

**If any of you is interested in knowing how Iryann and Datte look like, I put the link to my deviant art account in my profile ^^**

**Anyway, sorry for the short chapter, I'm still not sure of how to write the following scene...I have the idea, it just needs more thought I guess T-T**

**Again sorry for the short chapter **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ice blue eyes fluttered open.

_Where am I?_

Iryann rubbed her eyes with her left hand, brushing the sleep away. As she went to try to sit up, she felt a deep pang in her right shoulder, and hissed in pain.

She glanced at her arm and noticed it had been cleaned and bandaged. And so had been her left thigh…that metal stake had practically run through both skin and muscle.

With a muffled groan, she managed to sit up straight, and looked around the room. It didn't look like a bedroom…it was like an actual infirmary. A wooden desk was propped against the wall opposite to her, a chair in front of it, with a couple of pretty thick books on the seat…as though the person who used it was very small… like a child.

She tilted her head curiously at the thought.

_Just how old is the doctor?_

She pulled her messy locks of ash-blond hair back, only to let them hang loose with a sigh.

_I have to go thank them for this…maybe they can leave me at the nearest island…no need to be a nuisance to anyone…least of all Zoro._

And with that in mind, Iryann took a deep breath and did her best to move towards the edge of the bed without having to use her left leg or right arm…Easier said than done.

When she finally managed to get her feet on the cool wooden planks, she tried to stand up. She felt a sharp pain on her thigh and gasped as she let herself fall back on the mattress.

_Come on, you weakling! Stop whining and move!_

Again she tried to stand up, and again she felt the pain. Her balance wavered, but she kept her ground, wincing slightly as she put a little too much weight on her injured leg.

"Okay…" she said to herself, "Let's get going."

She limped slowly towards the door, having to lean on the desk for a moment before she managed to make it there. Iryann pushed the door slightly opened, and pocked her head into the hallway, looking both ways, trying to decide which one to choose.

She heard voices coming from somewhere to her right, muffled by the wooden walls.

I guess they're all in there…

The girl shrugged; immediately regretting it as she winced at the pain in her shoulder…_stupid shoulder_…she scowled at the useless limb, and resumed limping her way towards the voices.

* * *

The Straw Hats sat all at the table in the galley, waiting for an explanation for what had just happened; an explanation that a certain swordsman seemed to know.

Sanji was the last to sit, as he put the last cups of hot cocoa on the table, after which he found a seat beside Robin.

The room was left in silence. Even Luffy was quiet, looking intently at his first mate, waiting for him to explain to him what was happening.

"So, Zoro…" he started, looking into the swordsman's black eyes, "Who is this girl?"

The swordsman sighed, running a hand through his short green hair and turning his gaze to the table.

"She's…a friend of mine…a childhood friend," he frowned, "I hadn't seen her in years…we were still quite young then; I hadn't started travelling yet."

Silence flooded the room once again, as everyone stared at the swordsman or merely got lost in their own thoughts.

"And you say her name is Iryann?" the archeologist asked, a hand beneath her chin, a slight frown marring her features…_Where have I heard that name before?_

The swordsman nodded, "Yeah."

"There's something I'm confused about here…" everyone looked at the navigator, "I mean…shouldn't it be impossible for her to have control over ice? I thought Aokiji had already eaten that devil's fruit, don't they say that the _Akuma no mi_ are unique fruits that are created one at a time? There shouldn't be two people having the same power, at least not while both of them are alive…"

The crew all agreed with the navigator, and glanced back at the swordsman, expecting an answer.

"Well, that's because—"

"She's not eaten a Devil's Fruit." The archeologist finished for him.

Everyone was rendered speechless as they looked at the dark-haired woman with wide eyes. Even Zoro looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to have known that.

"_Aisu no Hime Iryann_" she said, giving them a small smile, "The Ice Princess, also known as the incarnation of the goddess of Ice, Nayade."

"Y-you mean she's a g-goddess?" a very astounded (and scared) Usopp mumbled.

"Not exactly," she corrected, "She is the bearer of one of the spirits of nature; in her case: Ice."

"Bearer?" Chopper asked; confused as to what Robin was saying.

She smiled softly at him and patted his hat.

"Her soul is made of the pure essence of the divinity she represents," she explained, "That's why she can control ice naturally, without eating a Devil's Fruit; …it is part of her."

They all stared amazed at the archeologist.

"Robin, where did you learn all of that?" Zoro asked, amazed at her knowledge of his friend's power.

Robin gave him one of her mysterious smiles, "In a book." She merely said; her eyes creased in a smile that, he knew, was supposed to make him annoyed…which it did.

Before the swordsman had time to scowl at the woman, however, his captain burst into cheers and laughter, already excited at the discovery of another interesting person who – he hoped – would join him and his nakama on his journey to One Piece.

Everyone started at their own conversations then, and it wasn't until ten minutes later that Chopper noticed the swordsman had been frowning in deep thought for a while.

"What's wrong, Zoro?" the furry creature asked, worried that the man might not be feeling well.

The green-haired swordsman blinked, suddenly ripped off his thinking trance. Everyone looked back at him as he turned towards them, a frown still marring his expression.

"I just find it weird that Datte's not with her…" he mused out loud.

"Datte?" the crew chorused.

"Oh, yeah…he's another friend of mine…Iryann and him already knew each other before I met them," he explained, "For all I know, he's always been with her…I would've even said they had something going on there…" he said absently with a small smile.

"Wait," everyone turned again to the archeologist. "Datte?"

The swordsman nodded.

"As in Datte, _Kaze no Kei_ Datte?" she asked.

Again, the swordsman nodded.

Robin's eyes widened as her gaze set on the swordsman, not really seeing him, but rather staring into the abyss as she got lost in her thoughts.

The crew looked nervously at the archeologist.

"What is it Robin-san?" Vivi asked, fearing her response.

The black haired woman blinked, and glanced back at them with a serious look on her face.

"The Lord of the Winds," she started, "Another bearer of the gods' spirits, in this case, _Fuzei_, God of the winds that envelop the world." Her face was very serious, "I have only heard rumors about him, but he is apparently incredibly strong."

"R-r-really?" Usopp seemed to be getting paler by the minute.

Zoro remained quiet.

"He doesn't have much of a public face, however," she continued, "It seems he doesn't like to be seen a lot…doesn't like to call attention upon himself," she paused, "…Almost as if he were hiding from something…"

Everyone then looked a Zoro, whose eyes were shaded by the dim light of the galley.

"I think that _that_ something, whatever it is, has already found him."

"How do you know?" Nami asked quietly.

The swordsman shrugged, "I'm not sure…it's just a feeling…"

Sanji glanced at Zoro from the corner of his eyes before hiding them from view, taking another drag of his cigarette.

_So that's who the marimo was talking about…But if he really got caught and is being tortured, then Iryann-chan will... _

"Then what will happen to Ir—"

Nami's question was interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

Iryann was standing on the entrance of the galley, panting slightly, leaning on the doorframe, pressing a hand against her left leg.

"Iryann-chan…" Sanji whispered, alarmed at her state.

"What are you doing up?" Chopper all but yelled, jumping to the ground and running towards her, "You shouldn't be moving! Your leg is still healing!"

Iryann smiled sweetly at the small reindeer, thing that caught the furry creature (and everybody else) by surprise.

"Thank you, _tonakai-san_," she said amiably, a warm smile on her lips, "You are a good doctor."

"T-that's not going to make me happy! You bastard!" he said as he clapped his hoofs and wiggled around, "bastard!" _clap-clap_, "bastard!" _clap-clap_.

Everyone smiled at the small doctor's antics, the mood much less tense than when the blonde had just entered the room.

Iryann pushed herself from the door and limped slowly closer to the table. When she was barely a meter away from it, she stopped and looked at all the crew members before vowing her head in thanks and respect.

"Thank you for taking care of me," she said, "I am sorry if I have been a burden. I was hoping you could leave me on the nearest island if it's not too much to ask."

She kept her head down, waiting for their response.

Zoro closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest while the rest stayed baffled at the politeness of the ice-eyed girl. Luffy seemed to be the only one unfazed by her formality.

"Request denied!" he chirped.

Iryann flinched, while everyone's heads shot back to their captain.

"Luffy!" Usopp hissed under his breath, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Luffy ignored them and kept smiling, not taking his eyes from Iryann.

"Nothing! I'm just saying I'm not going to let her leave at the next island, because she's going to be my nakama!" he laughed.

Iryann looked at the laughing boy with wide eyes and a look of absolute surprise. Zoro chuckled while everyone else (except Robin) knocked Luffy on the head with a loud "IDIOT!"

Iryann smiled to herself, and Robin noticed the girl looked almost sad. Zoro saw this and closed his eyes, waiting for her response.

"Sorry, _Mugiwara-san_," she said, "But I'm afraid I can't accept." Her smile wavered, "I have something I need to do…"

The straw hat captain whined and pouted as his excitement seemed to leave him.

"Huuuh~? Why~?" He wailed, giving her one of his puppy faces.

"I'm sorry." She repeated, still smiling, "I have to find—"

"Iryann." Zoro's deep voice filled the room, and everyone grew quiet.

The girl tensed slightly and looked at the swordsman with a small smile, already suspecting what he would ask.

"Yes?" she replied, preparing herself for what was to come, even when she knew she couldn't.

"Where's Datte?"

The words seemed to echo within the walls of the room, and everyone awaited her answer. The swordsman still sat with his eyes closed and his arms crossed over his chest, the captain's smile had faded while everyone else directed their eyes to the table or gave a sad look to the blonde.

Iryann looked at the ground, hiding her eyes from view. She'd known Zoro would ask her where he was, she'd told herself she would be strong and act like nothing was wrong…but she just couldn't.

"He--" her voice broke and she bit her lower lip to keep herself from sobbing. Her shoulders were shaking and her hands were closed in a fist. Her eyes still shaded by her hair.

A solitary tear ran down her face, and she bit her lip harder, fighting to keep herself from breaking down. She sniffled and tried to talk but only a strangled sob came out of her quivering lips. Her hands started rising to her face, covering her eyes as another sob escaped her mouth.

_He's gone._

That thought alone seemed to suck up all her energy at once and she collapsed on her knees, ignoring the sharp pain on her leg. Luffy rose from his seat, alarmed; followed by Vivi, and Nami. Tears were already running down the cyborg's face and Chopper had buried his face in Sanji's suit, while the cook bit on his cigarette with enough force to split it in two. Brook remained on his seat, along with Usopp, who was looking at the girl with a sympathetic look. Robin took a small sip of her coffee, her eyes sad.

Zoro had not opened his eyes yet, and was waiting for the girl to let it all out.

"H-he's gone," she choked out, bending over as she grabbed at her hair, "I don't kn-now where he is!" she cried, tears now streaming down her face. "We usually spend a month apart every four months so that th-they won't find us t-that easily," she explained between sobs, "We were supposed to meet at C-captiva three months ago!" she cried, "But he never came and I—I don't know where he is!" she wept, shaking furiously, hugging herself as she bent over, "I don't even know if he's alive or he's been caught!"

Zoro opened his eyes, looking in front of him, still not glancing at the weeping girl.

"Do you know who Kaien is?"

Her eyes widened and she looked at him in fear and hatred as she hissed the man's name.

"Kaien…" her voice distilled sheer hatred, "He's a demon! He's been trying to catch us ever since we were born…h-he wants to use our essence," fear stained her eyes and she started hyperventilating, "Datte, he-he wants to take…Datte's…he's going to…" Iryann kept on talking between gasps, her hands trembling and her eyes unfocused, "I ha-I have to find…he's going to get--"

Vivi had her hands over her mouth as she watched the girl suffer at the mere thought of Datte getting harmed. Nami had seen the desperate look in her ice-blue eyes and remembered the time when _she_ had been on her knees screaming Arlong's name in hatred, and her heart reached out for the girl.

"Iryann-chan…" Sanji whispered.

Chopper was right next to her, having run towards the girl as soon as she had started hyperventilating. Franky was flat out crying, while Brook and Robin kept their ground. Usopp had stayed on his seat, but he was biting his quivering lip as he fought not to cringe at the girls desperate sobs.

A light chuckle.

"Baka," a voice said, and everyone turned to Luffy, who was now standing in front of Iryann; his hat shading his eyes from view, while his smile was still perfectly visible.

Iryann looked up to him, tears still running down her cheeks.

"What?" she gasped, still out of breath from so much crying.

"You've been trying to find him all alone while keeping all those thoughts inside," he said, "But you are not alone anymore; and I promise you I'll find him and kick that Kaien-bastard's ass!"

Everyone smiled, and Zoro looked at the baffled girl with a warm smile. He was certain she'd been holding all that pain in for three months, not letting herself be drowned by her fear and worry. She had not changed at all…

Iryann looked around the room with wide tear-filled eyes.

Luffy then crouched in front of her and smiled.

"That's what nakama do, right?"

"N-nakama?" her eyes widened as her hand found her mouth…and the tears came back. They could all tell how hard she was trying to stop crying…

Finally, the kind Vivi could not hold still and knelt beside her, wrapping her arms around the shuddering girl as she cried for all the fear, despair and loneliness she had felt over the past months.

Everyone smiled warmly at the girl (although Franky was actually bawling at a corner of the room yelling, "I'M NOT CRYING!!!").

Zoro watched her as she clang to the kindhearted blue-haired princess, a person she had just met few minutes ago, crying like a little child. He smiled; then he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at the smiling navigator.

"You did well…It's good that she let all of that out…" Zoro knew Nami somewhat understood what Iryann was going through, and nodded.

"I know…she's always kept everything bottled inside, always smiling and never really opening her heart up to people," he chuckled, "The only person she's comfortable being herself with is actually Datte…" His smile faltered a bit, just slightly…but enough for the navigator to notice.

"We'll save him…" she assured him, "You know Luffy never stops until he fulfills his promises…and it seems he's really keen on making Iryann stay in the crew." She giggled as she saw Chopper jump on their new friend and cry against her shirt.

Zoro also saw this and smirked, "Of course we'll save him, with that rubber pigheaded captain of ours…there's no way on earth we couldn't."

They both watched as, after Luffy, Usopp and a bawling Franky joined the group hug, Chopper turned back into doctor mode and announced that Iryann should go back to rest. When the captain and official liar did not comply, he changed into his yeti form and gave them a good yell (which of course scared the hell out of Usopp and made Luffy back up, laughing his head off). He then took Iryann in his arms, not wanting her to use her leg again, and started walking out.

Just before they reached the door, Iryann turned to them, and smiled.

"Thank you."

…It was a true smile...


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 9**

A dark figure smiled beneath the shadows; his deep chuckle echoing against the walls of the wet cave.

"My, my…what a sweet reunion," he said as he watched the surface of the small pond, his smirk widening as he saw the faces of the Straw Hat crew moving on the still waters.

"I guess we can let Roronoa take a break …" the image on the pond focused on a scowling swordsman, "Now that he and that girl have met again, there is no need for us to play with his weakened heart…" he smirked, "…For now…"

His sinister laughter resonated within the cavern as he extended his hands towards the pool; a dark foggy specter rose from within the waters only to disappear into his outstretched palms.

The image then changed to a sleeping Iryann, and his lips curled up in a snarl before turning into a heartless smile.

"Sweet dreams, princess…" he cooed coldly, "Smile while you can…because soon you will be the death of everyone you love," his smile then turned vicious, "…and then your soul will be mine."

The water moved, and the images blurred away.

* * *

As soon as Iryann and Chopper left the room, the rest of the Straw Hats were left in the galley to talk excitedly about the new addition to their crew, and the beginning of a new adventure.

"YOSH!" Luffy yelled as he punched the air, "Let's get going!! I can feel the adventure!! Nami! Let's go find that Kaien-bastard!!"

Nami's punch made the room totter, and Luffy found himself stuck to the floor with a huge bump on his head.

"And just HOW the hell do you expect me to know where to start, you MORON!?"

Usopp yelped and hid behind Zoro, who was still sitting on his chair, smirking at his captain's pained wails.

"Captain-san, we will have to wait until _koori-san_ is completely healed." Robin explained with a smile.

Vivi giggled, "She's right Luffy-san, and you can't expect Nami-san to know where that evil man is."

Luffy sat up and put a fist to his palm, "Oh! I see! I guess we'll wait then!"

Sanji snorted, "How did I end up with such an idiot as my captain?" he threw his arms in the air dramatically.

"Yohohohoho! Luffy-san is certainly a peculiar fellow!" the skeletal musician laughed.

"You said it, skeleton!" Franky agreed, pushing his sunglasses back to his blue hair and shaking his head at the rubber boy's idiocy.

Luffy pouted at his crew's comments, but soon enough smiled and started laughing.

"We'll need to have a feast when Iryann wakes up!" he yelled as he threw his arms up in the air.

"Yeah!" everyone cheered, already excited at the prospect of a party for their newest crew member.

Nami was the first to break the happy mood by bringing her crewmates back to the present.

"We should still keep someone on watch, though," she reminded them, "We don't know if those black ships will appear again…"

"Navigator-san is right," the archeologist smiled at the orange-haired girl, "We shouldn't be too careless."

Zoro pushed his chair back and stood up, making all eyes turn towards him. He waved them off tiredly as he started walking out.

"Yeah…I'll keep the first watch."

Everyone glanced at him with wide eyes.

"But Zoro," Luffy looked at his first mate, cocking his head in confusion, "Didn't you just keep watch?"

"Yeah, marimo," Sanji exhaled the smoke of his cigarette, "It's my turn now, so get your ass back in here."

"You should get some rest, Zoro" Nami said with a huff; sometimes the swordsman took it upon himself to work too hard.

Zoro scowled at his crewmates, but kept on walking towards the door in annoyance. What was their problem? He couldn't sleep anyway, so he might as well be useful, right? _Stupid nightmares…_

"Shut up, I'm not tired," he growled, "I'll just—" Zoro's words died in his throat as he felt the dark pressure that had been wrapped around his heart for the past days disappear. All his energy vanished, and his knees buckled beneath him.

_What the—? _

The crew gaped as they saw Zoro stop dead on his tracks and start falling forward; eyes widening as the swordsman hit the floor with a silent thud.

"Zoro!" Luffy was the first one to run to his fallen first mate, followed by the rest of the crew.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Franky asked, concerned about his nakama's weird actions.

"Mr. Bushido!" Vivi gasped.

"Oi, marimo!" Sanji bit his cigarette hard, "What's wrong?"

_You better not get another coughing fit right now, shit-swordsman!_

Robin was frowning, she had kneeled down next to the swordsman and could only hope that he wasn't getting another attack.

_Not in front of Luffy, Swordsman-san…not now…_

Nami had her hands over her mouth as she looked at Zoro, the image of his shirt covered in blood suddenly returning to her mind.

_Not again!_

"Someone get Chop--!"

"Wait." Everyone turned to the archeologist, who had sat back in relief. She sported a small smile and was looking up at the rest of her worried nakama.

"He's asleep." Her eyes creased in a smile as they all gaped at her with incredulous expressions.

"HUH?!"

She put a finger to her mouth and they all grew quiet.

They could then hear the soft snores coming from the green-haired swordsman.

Luffy started laughing, and the others just smiled in relief.

"Zoro must've been really tired from his watch to fall over like that!" the captain laughed with a hand on his straw hat.

"Damn marimo…" Sanji scowled, lighting up another cigarette as he paced back to the counter.

_You scared me, shithead. As soon as you wake up, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you! _

"Yohohohoho! It seems Zoro-san's sleep has finally come crashing down on him."

"What did you expect, skeleton?" Franky glanced at the laughing musician, annoyed at his loud laughter, "He hasn't slept properly in a week!"

"It seems like Swordsman-san has been haunted by nightmares lately," Robin explained the crew.

"Nightmares?" The crew – all except Sanji, who also knew this – chorused.

"And I believe that this Kaien person might have something to do with it." she announced, the smile gone from her face.

The crew grew silent, all jokes vanished as Robin's statement sank in.

"Why do you think that, Robin?" Nami had kneeled down next to the black haired woman, and was looking at the sleeping swordsman with a concerned look.

"It seems that every time that Swordsman-san closed his eyes," she looked down, "He saw a stranger, named Kaien…torturing Datte-san."

"T-t-torturing him?" Usopp looked around him in terror, as if he was expecting the scary man to pop out of nowhere.

"And do you think there could be any truth to those nightmares, Robin-san?" Vivi asked; worried about Iryann and the man she was fighting so hard to find.

"I'm not sure…" she admitted, "But I find it too much of a coincidence for Iryann-san to have appeared just now…talking about a disappeared Datte…"

Luffy glanced at his first mate, and sighed; then, with an unusually serious tone, he addressed his nakama.

"It's no use worrying about these things right now," he said gravely, making his crew look at him with wide eyes, "We'll see when we get there; all we can do now is make sure we protect Iryann from that Kaien-bastard, and that we find him fast so that I can kick his ass for what he's done to her and Datte."

He paused.

"We shouldn't tell Iryann about the nightmares either; she's worried enough as it is."

They all nodded and looked back at the swordsman.

"Franky," the cyborg turned to the orange haired navigator, whose eyes were still glued to Zoro's sleeping form, "Please take Zoro to the bunkroom…we can't just leave him here all day."

"Sure thing."

They all stepped back to let Franky take a still-unconscious swordsman in his arms and walk out of the galley towards the men's quarters.

They remained in silence for a while, each buried deep in their own thoughts.

Sanji finally heaved a sigh and exhaled a thin trail of smoke.

"So, who wants some breakfast?"

Everything returned to normal as their captain cheered with a hand on his hat.

"Yosha!!! BREAKFAST!!"

----------

**_Koori_ means ice in Japanese, and since Iryann hasn't revealed her specialty yet, I thought Robin would probably use that as her provisional nickname.**

**Sorry for the short chapter! **

**Expect a longer one for next Friday ^^**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 10**

Iryann's blue eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring at the small infirmary's ceiling once again. She glanced around and smiled softly. After trying to move her left leg and feeling a stabbing pain in her thigh, she sighed and leaned back against the pillow.

"Stuck here again, huh…"

She tried moving her right shoulder, and found that it still hurt, but it was a lot more bearable than it had been last time she'd been awake.

Again, she smiled.

"That little reindeer is quite the doctor…"

Just then, the door opened, and said little doctor entered the room quietly. When he saw Iryann staring at him, he jumped back slightly, not having expecting her to be awake.

"Oh! Y-you're awake!"

Iryann looked at the cute furry creature, and couldn't help but smile at him warmly. _He's so cute!_

Chopper saw her smile and blushed, side stepping carefully to his desk, while keeping the girl in sight. He then saw the girl stifle a giggle with her hand, and noticed it was the _right _hand she'd used. Getting into doctor mode, Chopper looked at the girl with slight concern in his features.

"How's your shoulder? Does it still hurt?"

The girl looked slightly surprised for an instant, and glanced down at her right arm. She moved it around and winced slightly at the slight pain in her shoulder.

"It still hurts a bit," she admitted, then glanced at the small doctor with a smile, "But it's feeling a lot better, thank you."

"I-Idiot!" he screamed, blushing madly and twirling around as the girl thanked him, "That doesn't make me happy!!"

Iryann cocked her head in amusement at the little reindeer's dance. _He sure looks happy to me…_

Just then, her stomach rumbled noisily, and Iryann found herself blushing in embarrassment as she pressed her hands to her stomach.

Chopper stopped his little twirls and giggled.

"You must be hungry! I'll ask Sanji to make you something!" he chirped starting to walk towards the door.

"No, wait!" she tried moving her leg, "I'd like to take in some fresh air—itte!" Iryann winced. Her leg still hurt quite a lot.

"AGH!" Chopper panicked, "Don't move! The stitches will come out!"

Iryann pouted.

"But I want to go outside~"

Chopper looked troubled. The girl had been stuck in there for two days already…_but she shouldn't move her leg…but she should also eat something…argh! What do I do!? _

He looked at the girl's pleading blue eyes…and sighed.

"Fine…" Iryann smiled happily, "But you have to promise me you won't walk! I'll ask Franky if he can make a crutch for you, but until then, someone will have to carry you around, okay?"

"Okay!" she chirped, happy to be able to get out of there…although she really wished he would just let her walk by herself…

Chopper smiled, "I'll take you to the galley then, it's probably time you met everyone anyway…"

He turned into his yeti form, making the girl's eyes widen at the sight. She barely remembered being carried by a furry giant after she had collapsed in the galley in a pile of sobs.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" the reindeer looked slightly saddened by the girl's response to his change, and Iryann noticed.

"Oh no! I was just surprised, that's all!" she assured him, "It's actually very cool! You're like a huge teddy bear!" her eyes creased in a smile, and Chopper found himself smiling and blushing again.

He walked to the blonde, and picked her up gently, being careful not to move her leg more than necessary.

"Thanks Tonakai-san," she smiled.

"I-idiot!" he stuttered as he walked to the door, "Even if you're grateful it doesn't make me happy!"

The girl giggled as she was carried out of the infirmary, and leaned into Chopper's arms.

_It really is like being held by a big teddy bear…_

* * *

"Sanji~!" a vein pulsed on the cook's forehead as he heard his captain whine for the twentieth time in the five minutes he'd been in the galley. "I want fooooood!"

"And I want you to shut up, shitty-gomu!" he growled in annoyance, "I told you it's almost ready!"

"Yay!!" Luffy clapped his hands in cheer.

"Do you need any help, cook-san?" Robin lifted her eyes from the book she had been reading to glance at the cook.

"Oh no, don't worry, Robin-chan, this is no problem." he turned with a smile, as he took the meat out of the oven. The archeologist smiled back and turned her attention back to her book.

"Sanji-san, are you sure you don't need any help?" Vivi asked kindly.

"Yeah, Sanji-kun," Nami agreed, "You strain yourself too much, you should take some rest once in a while."

Sanji swooned with the tray of meat still in his hands.

"Hyaa~! My ladies are so thoughtful!" he sang, and then turned back into scowling mode as he noticed his other crewmates sitting around the table, "Oi longnose! Set the table."

"WHAT!?" Usopp protested. It took a look from the cook to realize that if he didn't get the dishes fast…Sanji's shoe would go up his ass.

"I-I mean…sure!" he quickly got to his feet and made his way to the kitchen counter.

Sanji smirked, satisfied. He grabbed a tray with drinks and made his way to the table.

"Oi, cook," Zoro glared at Sanji, "Where's the booze?"

Sanji scowled back, "Move your lazy ass and get it yourself, marimo."

Zoro grumbled and stood from his chair while Luffy laughed and the rest of the crew smiled.

After he'd passed out in the galley, Zoro had slept through the whole day. The dark rings had disappeared from under his eyes, and they were all glad to see him start training and napping calmly outside again.

It seemed like he was not haunted by nightmares anymore.

"Hey, where's Chopper?" Luffy asked, as he noticed his little furry friend was missing.

"I think he said he was going to check on Iryann-san," Vivi said.

"Has she woken up yet?" Nami turned to the blue haired princess, who had been helping Chopper in the infirmary, taking her role as the nurse of the ship.

Vivi shook her head, "No, but she was exhausted from whatever she had experienced in those ships…so it's not surprising."

They all nodded silently. Zoro walked back to the table with a bottle of rum in his hand, and sat back next to Nami.

"So what will we do once she wakes up?" he asked, taking a swig of rum, "I don't think she knows where Datte is any more than we do."

Nami sighed, "Don't you think she'll know anything that might help us, though?" she took a sip of her drink, "If we just sail around randomly, we'll never find Kaien's island…"

They all stayed quiet, each buried in their own thoughts. Robin was the first to speak again.

"Swordsman-san," Zoro looked up from his drink, "Do you think Kaien will attempt to capture _Koori-san_ as well?"

"Most likely," he frowned, "From what I know, that guy's been trying to take them both for many years now."

"Tch! Bastard…" Sanji snarled, lighting up a cigarette.

"So, since she escaped from those ships…do you think they'll come to us and try to take her away again?" Usopp asked, as he put the plates on the table.

"They better not try," Franky took a swig of cola and wiped his mouth with his arm, "Or they'll see what this ship is capable of."

"Right!" Luffy yelled, his trademark grin painted on his face, "Because if they try to get close to Iryann, we'll kick their ass!"

"You're damn right we will." Zoro said with a smirk.

"Yohohohoho! This is going to be exciting!"

Everyone smiled and Sanji finally brought the food to the table, kicking Luffy on the head before he started eating like the human vacuum he was.

Just then, the door opened, and Chopper walked in with Iryann in his arms. When they saw the girl's smile, any tension that had gathered around the room dissipated, and they all smiled back.

"She just woke up, so I thought I might as well get her something to eat." Chopper explained.

He set Iryann on a chair, next to Vivi, taking care not to move her leg and she smiled gratefully at him.

"Thanks, Tonakai-san." She chirped.

"B-baka!! That's not gonna make me happy you bastard!!"

They all laughed, and Nami gave her new nakama a friendly smile.

"I think some introductions are in order," she said, "My name is Nami, I'm the navigator of the ship."

"And a greedy witch as well." Zoro added before taking a gulp of rum.

"Oi marimo!" Sanji snarled, "Don't say that about Nami-san!"

"Tch! Idiot."

"What was that, asshole?!"

A second later, both Zoro and Sanji nursed a pair of big bumps on their heads as Nami glared at them.

"Will you two just shut it?"

Iryann sweat-dropped as she saw both men shrink under the redhead's fist, while Luffy just laughed happily, a hand on his straw hat.

"Nami's really scary!" he chirped, "Don't mess with her money or her oranges or she'll have your head for dinner!" He laughed.

Another frightening blow from the navigator, and Luffy was on the floor pressing a hand to the new bump on his head.

She then turned back to the – half scared, half amused – Iryann.

"Don't mind what these idiots say," she sang sweetly.

"H-hai…" Iryann replied, looking between the battered men and the smiling navigator.

"Anyway," she continued, "You know Zoro, the green haired moron on the floor," said moron scowled at her in annoyance as he sat back on his chair, grumbling something about witches being violent. Iryann smiled at him warmly and his gaze seemed to soften slightly.

"The blond idiot is Sanji-kun, he's the cook of the crew…and a bit of a ladies' man…but don't let that freak you out, though, he won't do anything."

Iryann tilted her head in curiosity at Nami and was going to ask what she meant, when she felt her hand being held gently and looked up at the cook. He kneeled down in beside her, holding her left hand up.

"Ah, my beautiful flower," he sang, "It is only the majestic sight of a beauty such as yours that makes this humble cook's heart flutter like the wings of a lively hummingbird." He held her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly, earning a low growl from Zoro. "If there is anything you need, I, your Prince, will be more than happy to serve you."

Iryann giggled at the love-cook's act.

"Why thank you, Sanji-san." She pulled her hand back gently, and the cook fell back in a swirl of hearts and smoke.

"Hyaa~! Iryann-chwan is so cute when she giggles~!" he cooed as he twirled back to the counter.

"I-Iryann-_chwan_?" the girl repeated, slightly puzzled by the odd suffix.

"Oh, he does that with all the girls of the crew," Nami winked at her, "You'll get used to it."

A loud rumble was heard around the room, and everyone stared at Iryann, who blushed furiously at the sudden attention.

"Oh my," Robin smiled, "It seems like our guest is quite hungry."

Luffy laughed.

"Don't worry! Sanji will make something for you! He's the best cook in the world! You'll love his food!"

"My lady," Sanji was beside her again, putting a very appetizing plate in front of her, "I hope it is of your liking."

She smiled gratefully at the cook, and took a bite of the succulent filet. Her eyes widened and she looked up at him with a full smile.

"This is delicious!"

Everyone smiled, while Luffy laughed his head off and Sanji twirled some more at the compliments.

"See? I told you!" The captain chirped, "Sanji's food is the best!"

Nami smiled and continued her introductions while Iryann ate.

"The little reindeer is Chopper, our doctor." the furry animal blushed shyly at the attention and waved before hiding behind Zoro, bringing a smile to the blonde's lips.

Then, Iryann watched as the longnose took over and stood on his chair, with a foot on the table, putting up his _hero-pose_.

"I'm Usopp-sama!" he yelled proudly, "The best sniper there is and bravest man of the seas! But people know me as…Captaaaaaaaain Usopp!!" Again, he struck a pose.

"OI USOPP!" Luffy protested with his mouth full of meat, and slamming a fist against the table, "I'M THE CAPTAIN HERE!"

Iryann giggled, bringing the attention back to her.

"I know that! You're Monkey D. Luffy, ne?" she asked with a smile on her face, "I've heard many things about you."

Luffy's trademark grin again threatened to split his face in two.

"Shishishishi! Cool! I'm famous!" he laughed, "And you know something?"

"What?"

"I'm going to be the next Pirate King!" he chirped, "Right after I find One Piece!"

Iryann's eyes widened slightly at the bold statement. The young raven haired man looked so childish and innocent, but then she remembered the look in his eyes when he had promised her that he would save Datte, and knew somehow…that she was in the presence of an extraordinary man.

She smiled.

"I'm sure you will." she said.

Nami smiled at her captain and went on with the introductions.

"The black haired woman in front of you is Nico Robin," she said, "She's an archeologist."

Robin nodded politely and smiled at the curious look the girl gave her.

"Yeah! Robin's a great archeologist!" Luffy chirped, "She's looking for the Rio Poreni…Ponyglu…Puneri…" he scratched his head as he struggled to get the complicated name right.

Robin giggled and went to help her captain.

"The _Rio Poneglyph_, Captain-san."

"Oh yeah! That!" he said with a laugh.

Nami shook her head at Luffy's idiocy and turned to Vivi.

"The girl sitting next to you is Nefertari Vivi," she informed Iryann, who had taken her gaze from Robin to the blue haired girl; "She's the princess of the kingdom of Arabasta."

Iryann's eyes widened; and she looked at Vivi with obvious curiosity shinning in her ice-blue irises.

"You're a real princess?"

"Yeah," Vivi admitted shyly, "Luffy-san and the others saved my kingdom from a terrible rebellion…I stayed behind when the battle was over…but once the country was back in prosperity, I realized I missed my nakama and the sea too much, so I decided to rejoin the crew." She explained with a smile.

"Vivi's our princess, and she's also my girlfriend!" Luffy said happily as he put an arm around Vivi and pulled her to his side, "She's gonna be the Queen of Pirates!"

"Lu-Luffy-san!" Vivi stuttered, blushing furiously as Luffy held on to her.

Iryann smiled at the couple. _They're cute together…_

The sight of the two lovebirds made her think of Datte, and her smile faltered a little.

Zoro noticed this, and tried to take her mind away from the thought of Datte's disappearance.

"Oi Franky," he called, effectively turning Iryann's and everyone's attention to him, "Your turn."

"Ossu!" The blue haired cyborg stood up, striking his pose; arms clashing together with the blue star tattoo perfectly visible in the middle, "OW! The name's Franky! I'm the shipwright of the crew, and the one who build this SUPA ship!"

Iryann's thoughts about Datte vanished at the cyborg's introduction. She didn't really know whether to be amused or disturbed by the man's appearance…The Speedo had her a little iffy…

"N-Nice to meet you, Franky," she managed to say, with an awkward smile.

All attention then came down on Brook, who was sipping on his tea, peacefully.

"That's Brook, our musician."

Iryann stared at him blankly.

_...What the hell?_

Luffy laughed, and everyone smiled and chuckled understandably (they had also been very…shocked, when they first met Brook).

"Brook ate the _Yomi Yomi no mi_," Nami explained, "Which gave him a second life after he died…but it seems that, by the time his soul found his body again…it was already a skeleton…"

"O-oh, I see…" Iryann was still not sure how to take in the fact that there was a skeleton drinking tea just a few seats next to her…

Said skeleton suddenly put the tea cup on the table and stood up; Iryann was very surprised at how tall he was. Brook then walked around the table and vowed politely in front of her, much like an English gentleman would.

"My Fair Lady," Iryann looked at him curiously, "…May I please see your panties?"

The girl could only gape as Zoro, Sanji, Vivi and Nami hit the skeleton on the head with an angry, "YOU PERVERT!!"

Franky, who had been gulping down his fifth cola and had been oblivious to Brook's request, turned to them and calmly asked.

"Pervert? Who's calling me?"

Everyone dropped to the floor at the cyborg's question, save for Luffy, who was obviously laughing like a madman, and Iryann, who was just looking around with slight confusion.

As she paused to analyze the situation, the girl couldn't help but smile, and she found herself joining Luffy in his laughter.

The crew looked at Iryann with wide eyes; this being the first time they had heard her laugh like that. Zoro, on the other hand, smiled and chuckled softly, shaking his head as he sat back on his chair.

_About time…_

Iryann laughed wholeheartedly, and as the shock wore off, they all smiled at her.

"You know," she managed to say after a while, wiping the tears from her eyes, "I had been wondering what it was with Luffy and the Straw Hat crew that would make Zoro become a pirate," she smiled a Zoro, "But I think I get it now."

Zoro smirked and the rest couldn't wipe the smile off their faces.

"And your bounties are so high, too," she continued, then looked at Sanji, "I was surprised at meeting Sanji-san, though…he doesn't look like his picture at all!"

"You kidding?" Zoro uttered with a bored expression, "He looks exactly the same."

"WHAT WAS THAT, ASSHOLE?!!"

"I forgot," Zoro said; ignoring Sanji's killing intent as he walked past him to get another bottle of rum from the wine rack.

Sanji's face was red with fury, and it took both Franky and Chopper (in Strong Point) to hold the fuming cook back and prevent him from strangling the swordsman to death.

Luffy laughed, while the rest just smiled or shook their heads at their crewmates' antics.

Iryann watched as Zoro took a swig of his bottle, purposely ignoring Sanji's desperate attempts to get his hands around his neck, and smiled to herself.

_I'm glad you found a family after all, Zoro…I'm glad…_


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 11**

The echoes of the redhead's steps resounded along the wet cave, the sound of dripping water and the flapping of bats' wings only adding to the eerie coldness of the cavern. Itami didn't like this place. He liked to be outside, breathing in the fresh night air;_ free_…and this shitty wet hole almost made him feel claustrophobic. Sadly, his master didn't quite share his opinion; Kaien seemed to like dark eerie places where he could dwell in the darkness of his soul, undisturbed by the sunlight and the other inferior human beings. He sighed.

_Damn, why do we always end up stuck in creepy places?_

He finally reached the end of the tunnel, and walked into his master's _room_, (if the circular cavern could be called a room at all). It remained dark at all times, even though they had put lights in most of the other rooms. Kaien had never really favored the light, thing that the redhead found somewhat ironic, seeing how the man only dressed in white. Itami walked towards the center of the cavern, where the shallow pond that his master used to keep an eye on his prey was located.

A lone white figure was staring at the still waters, his clothes of such an immaculate white that they almost illuminated the dark cave. Itami stopped around ten feet away from his master, and bent down in respect, sinking a knee on the wet ground, keeping his emerald green eyes down.

"Kaien-sama, you called?"

The white man did not move an inch, still staring at the moving images on the waters.

"Ah, Itami…" his voice echoed along the cave, "I'm glad you're here. I am in need of your assistance, my dear boy."

"I'll do anything, Kaien-sama." The young man replied with respect.

Kaien turned around, a small smirk on his pale face, which only made the scar that crossed his visage in an X stand out even more.

"Our guests are about to reach one of our neighboring islands." He informed him, knowing that the statement alone would be enough for Itami to guess what he was about to ask.

"Do you want me to leave them a message, then?" the redhead inquired, "A clue that will put them on the right path?"

Kaien's smile widened, "Exactly, my boy…" he turned back to the pond, watching the images move, "They are but a few hours away from Youkou island, you are to make sure they find a clue that will point them my way."

"Hai!" Itami kept his ground, seeing how his master hadn't given him permission to depart, "Is there anything else you need, my lord?"

"Why yes, Itami," the white man turned to him once again, a white smile shinning on his face, "And I'm sure you will enjoy this last assignment. You are to direct their path towards the small island of Komakai which is only a day away from here. Also, I believe it has a relatively low population, and that most men, both young and old, are part of a marine fort stationed in the island…" Kaien's smile then turned feral and heartless, "Those men…kill them."

Itami couldn't help the smile that tugged on his lips. Then he heard his master's voice again.

"But let one live…" the redhead looked up in puzzlement, "…So that he can tell the tale."

"As you wish, Kaien-sama," Itami was all smiles; he had been so bored for the past week that the mere thought of slaughtering the male population of a small village made him the happiest man alive. He looked at his master with expectation, "Will that be all?"

"Yes, my boy," Kaien turned back to the pond, where the images had focused on a certain green haired swordsman, "Now that the crew has figured out that the one behind the nightmares was me, I'll make sure that our dear swordsman feels what is coming in a much more puissant way…I find the amount of pain that this young man can undergo to be absolutely fascinating; and for that I want to see him fall to his knees and yell out in agony from a pain he cannot control, as my hand strangles his heart slowly from miles away…"

Kaien's eyes then turned hard and somber, his voice resounding with an echo of hatred and resentment that the redhead had not heard before, "That man has something that belongs to me..." the white man's eyes bored into the swordsman's image with barely restrained malice, "…and I want it back."

Itami shivered, and not necessarily because he felt what his master did was wrong, oh no! He actually considered himself to be quite a heartless man. However, no matter how twisted his mind might have been, the darkness of his soul was nothing compared to the one that poisoned that of his master's. Such cold-blooded cruelty and thirst for the pain of his fellow men…it sent chills up his spine…which only made him admire the man even more.

"You may leave now, boy," he declared, his voice resounding through the walls, "Go and accomplish your duties."

"Yes, my lord." Itami vowed again and lifted himself from the floor. He then turned around and walked in silence towards the opening of the cave, to the tunnel that would lead him outside…where he could finally inhale the fresh, cold air of the night…and do what he did best.

* * *

"Ah!! Iryann!!" the girl flinched and cursed inwardly as she heard the doctor's yell from behind her. "What are you doing?! I told you that you needed to be carried at all times!! Your leg will never heal properly like this!"

"But Chopper~" she whined turning to face the angry reindeer, "I can walk by myself! I'm telling you my leg's already healed!"

"Liar!" he yelled with an accusatory finger…or hoof.

"What?!" the girl protested, "I'm not a liar! See?" she said as she gave a step forward, "I can walk perfectly by mys-ouch!"

The reindeer was immediately by her side, already in his yeti form and picking her up gently. "No, you cannot! You have to take this seriously, Iryann," he lectured her, "Or I will have to tie you up to your bed!"

Iryann gasped and narrowed her eyes at the furry yeti, "You wouldn't!"

"Oh, yes he would," she turned to Zoro, who was walking by with a towel around his neck, and was making his way towards the showers after a long training session, "He did that to me once."

The girl gaped at the swordsman and then at the doctor, finally giving in with a huff as Chopper sat her down on a chair next to Robin, who was looking at her with an amused expression, the book on her lap momentarily forgotten. The woman watched as the doctor gave his patient a last warning look before walking back to the galley, and giggled as the blonde slumped in her seat with a very much unpleased expression.

"It seems like your leg isn't quite healed yet, Koori-san."

Iryann looked at the black haired woman; she had gotten somewhat used to the nickname she had been given by the mysterious lady. She slumped in her chair even more, her arms folded at her front and a small pout on her face.

"If Franky would just make me a darn _crutch_, then I'd be able to move on my own!" she huffed, "But, apparently, they find it _amusing_ to carry me around like some sort of useless _doll_!"

Robin smiled at the girl and turned her attention back to her book, "I'm afraid you are going to have to acquiesce, Koori-san, they can be quite stubborn."

"Yeah, I realized that already." Iryann sighed and closed her eyes, deciding that she might as well relax for a while…at least until Luffy came by to make her play with him again…

Someone was walking towards them, and as she opened her eyes, she saw Nami and Vivi coming their way. Both girls sat down on the remaining chairs with a contented sigh. The sound of crumbling paper turned her blue eyes towards the map in Nami's hands. The navigator noticed this, and rolled it open, showing it to the rest who had also turned their attention to the map.

"I have made some calculations," she explained, "And I'm pretty sure we're just about an hour away from our destination. Usopp should be able to see it from the crow's nest but the idiot's probably too busy with his inventions to notice." She scowled.

"What should we do then, Navigator-san?" Robin inquired.

Nami sighed, settling the map on her lap and leaning back in her seat, "We should stock up for a month or so, we don't really know how far away the next island will be," she looked at Iryann and smiled, "And we should probably get some new clothes for you, Iryann."

The girl looked slightly troubled at the suggestion, "But…I have no money…"

"Oh don't worry!" Nami waved her hand dismissively, "It's for a good cause, so I'll lend you some," she punched the air with excitement, "We're going shopping!"

Iryann laughed at the navigator's antics and couldn't help but to feel excited at the thought of going on a shopping spree with her new friends.

"Uh…Iryann-san," she turned to the blue haired princess, "Maybe we can find some information about Datte-san or Kaien if we ask around…you know what they both look like, right?"

Iryann felt concern tugging at her heart once again, but kept her smile in place, "Yeah, I'm sure we'll be able to find a lead or something…Kaien's ships were more or less headed this way so the villagers might have an idea of his location."

All three girls nodded in agreement, and settled back in their seats. It was a sunny day, and Nami could feel moisture forming at her forehead already. Wiping the sweat from her face, she whined slightly.

"It's so hot, today!" Her phrase was immediately followed by the galley door bursting open.

"Nami-swan~, Vivi-chwan~, Iryann-chwan~, Robin-chwan~" he sang as he looped from the door to the grassy deck with a tray full of drinks on his hand. "Please allow me to cool you down with my special drinks of the day."

"Oh! Just in time, Sanji-kun." The navigator beamed happily at the cook.

"It looks delicious, Sanji-san," Vivi smiled.

Iryann smirked as he saw the cook melt on the grass, and looked askance at Robin, who had a warm smile gracing her lips. Each girl grabbed one of the cool drinks and said their _thank you_s to the twirling cook, who immediately danced his way back to the kitchen…although not without a last glance to the archeologist that had not remained unnoticed by the rest.

Just then, Luffy skipped by and saw the drinks in the girls' hands. He immediately pouted and whined in protest.

"Huuuuh~? Why are the girls getting drinks?!" he glared at the galley door, "Sanji~!! I want a drink too~!"

Vivi giggled, "Luffy-san, you can have a sip of mine if you want," she looked at the boy warningly as he sprang next to her, "But just _the one_."

Although she was a very sweet girl, when Vivi got mad she could get very scary, and Luffy knew better than to test her patience.

"Okay!" he chirped before taking a sip of the bluish liquid, "It's good!"

"Isn't it?" Vivi smiled, pulling the drink back and taking a sip of her own.

"Man, it's hot today," they all watched as Zoro came out to the deck with an open button-down black shirt and his hair still wet from the shower.

"Hey Zoro!" Luffy chirped, waving happily at his first mate as the swordsman walked towards them.

"Hey there, captain," Zoro smirked as he got to them, and grabbed Nami's drink to take a swig of the cool beverage. Nami could only gape at the swordsman as he sighed with satisfaction and gave her the glass back, "Good stuff."

Luffy and Iryann laughed at the navigator's dumbfounded expression while Vivi and Robin tried to suppress giggles and knowing smiles.

"How long until we reach the next island?" Zoro asked, unaffected by his friends' reactions.

"O-oh! Uuuh…Around half an hour I guess," Nami blushed slightly as she stuttered out her words, "We should be able to see it by now…but Usopp's doing something up there and is not doing his job…"

Zoro nodded and looked up to the crow's nest, "OI USOPP! What the hell are you doing up there?!"

A small explosion sent smoke out the windows of the small room, and Usopp's familiar shriek was heard from within. They all sighed as his coughs reached their ears and knew that he had been too focused on his inventions to pay attention to the horizon. The long nosed sniper then looked out the window and saw the island getting closer by the minute.

"LAND HO!" he yelled.

"Took you long enough, you idiot." Zoro shook his head, and sank down on the grass.

"WOOHOO!! Island!" Luffy cheered as he jumped up and ran to inform the rest of the crew.

Iryann smiled as she took a sip of her drink, "Well this ought to be interesting…"


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 12**

"Damn woman," Zoro grumbled as he walked through the streets of Youkou Island, following Nami and Vivi while they looked through the shop windows. They kept pointing at millions of colorful short dresses, shirts, pants and shoes that Zoro was _SURE_ they had more than enough of already. He heard a giggle at his back and glanced over his shoulder with a scowl on his face.

"What are you laughing at?" Iryann was holding onto his back, with her arms around his neck, as they followed the witch and the princess. Since she couldn't walk, Nami had forced him to carry her around in piggy-back style so that she could go shopping with them.

"Nothing~!" she chirped. Zoro felt a smile tugging at his lips. He had thought of her as a younger sister back when they were kids, and seeing her laughing and smiling had brought out that feeling again. The girl seemed to be truly happy around her new friends, and that was an immense relief for the swordsman, who had been worried about how Iryann would manage all the stress and anguish she was surely going through at the moment. She leaned her head on his shoulder and, as Zoro glanced at her, he noticed she was smiling. "You really like her, don't you?"

The swordsman felt the color rise to his cheeks and looked away quickly, hoping she wouldn't see it, and coughed, trying to get his voice back. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about…" he mumbled putting up a deep voice. Her giggles told him that he had failed miserably at deceiving her, and he sighed in defeat. She squeezed his shoulders in a small hug, and whispered at his ear reassuringly.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to tell her anything." That made Zoro's tense shoulders relax considerably and he smiled gratefully at the blonde.

"Zoro!" They both looked up to see the orange haired navigator waving at them from what looked like a (pretty big) shoe store. "We're going to check out this store! Bring Iryann!"

"Damn that witch is going to be the death of me…what am I, a pack mule?" Zoro mumbled in annoyance while Iryann laughed heartily at her friend's complains.

They reached the store in no time, and the swordsman walked in with the girl on his back. He looked around and saw Vivi and Nami sitting on a long blue sofa, trying several sandals on. He made his way towards them and, as he reached the couch, he turned around and kneeled so that Iryann could get off his back and sit on the sofa without moving her injured leg too much.

"Thank you, Zoro-kun~," Nami sang teasingly, "That was so sweet of you!"

"Oh, shut it witch," He growled in annoyance, "I'll be waiting outside, call me when you're done."

"Don't wander off, darling~!" she crooned, "You know how bad your sense of direction is~"

All three of them laughed as he stomped his way out of the annoyingly big store (he almost didn't find the door), hands in his pockets and cursing under his breath about greedy witches that can't seem to keep their annoying mouth shut.

As he got out on the street, he sighed and leaned on the wall of the store, right beside the door, so that they could easily call him back in when they were done buying. He looked around and only saw happy couples and families walking around merrily, coming in and out of stores with a increasing amount of new clothes, toys and candy. The sight almost made him scowl.

"Not a single bar," he sighed, "I'll have to look for one later, I really need a drink…"

His thoughts were interrupted as a flash of red crossed his sight, and got lost again in the crowds. His dark eyes searched through the multitude, trying to spot the person that had caught his attention.

And there he was.

Leaning against a wall across the street was a strangely familiar redhead with emerald green eyes and a mocking grin that was screaming for a challenge right there and then. He didn't look a lot older than Zoro, and did not seem weak either. He was staring directly at him, which was making him incredibly uncomfortable_…Who is this guy?..._ The swordsman's eyes narrowed as he tried to remember where he'd seen the man before. The redhead's smirk widened, and he waved a hand at him, eyes creased in a smile. A flash of dark images crossed the swordsman's mind, and he felt his heartbeat increase rapidly. Zoro's eyes widened and he tensed; his hand already at his katana. He had recognized him from his nightmares; he was the bastard that had caught and tortured Datte, most probably Kaien's right hand, and Zoro wasn't planning on letting him escape without at least getting the information he wanted.

With that thought in mind, he started walking towards the man, his demonic aura already scaring off the people that crossed his path. But, as soon as he got to the middle of the street, he felt a massive surge of pain tugging at his heart, and he stopped dead on his tracks, his hand unconsciously gripping at his chest. He groaned in agony, and felt his knees weaken.

_Not n-now! I-I have to—_

"Agh!" he gasped as he felt his heart being strangled by an unknown force. It was as if a hand had grasped his heart and was trying to literally squash it while it was still beating within his ribcage. His knees gave out, and he sank to the ground, trying hard to breathe as he felt blood travelling up his throat. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of the water as he tried to take in oxygen; his lungs burning from depravation of air. He pounded at his chest and managed to start coughing, a hand covering his mouth to keep the blood from splattering on the street.

A woman screamed and some people started gathering around him with concern.

_Shit._

"Hey man, are you okay?!"

"What is wrong with him?!"

"Somebody get a doctor!"

The swordsman was breathing heavily, the throbbing pain in his heart still agonizingly strong, but he forced himself to look up. His clouded eyes searched for the redhead once more, but with the pain and all the people surrounding him, Zoro was having a hard time spotting the ten-times-cursed man.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and something was dropped right in front of him. The swordsman glanced down curtly.

It was an Eternal Pose.

The hand on his shoulder clenched, making him grunt at the pain, and he felt someone lean into his ear. The mocking voice an echo of the one in his nightmares as he remembered the man's name.

…_Itami…_

"I see you're having some problems there…I guess I could give you a hand, then, I'm feeling generous today. If you want to find your friend, I suggest you check out that island," the man chuckled darkly, "I'm not making any promises though…"

Zoro growled and shoved the hand off his shoulder, eyes darting up to see face of the man that had tortured his friend; only to find he was nowhere to be seen. The redhead had vanished, and all Zoro could see were the people around him yelling things about doctors and help.

"Bastard!" he hissed, his jaw clenched in anger. He then remembered what Itami had given him and looked down. It was definitely an Eternal Pose, since there was a name inscribed on the wood around the glass sphere. Still panting for air, and wheezing at the lingering pain in his heart, Zoro grabbed the small artifact and read the name.

"Komakai…"

* * *

"Iryann-san! Those look so good on you!" Vivi clapped her hands excitedly as the blonde smiled at the black ankle-length boots on her feet, "Don't you think so, Nami-san?"

The navigator grinned and nodded, "Yup! We should totally get them for you!"

Iryann looked at her new friends and smiled, they were being so kind to her. "Thank you Nami, I'll try to repay you as soon as I can."

Nami pinched the girl's cheeks and made her look at her in the eye, "Didn't I tell you that you didn't have to pay for anything?" Vivi sweatdropped at her friend's antics and smiled sympathetically at the blonde's pained expression…Nami's _cheek-squeezes_ could be very painful…

"H-hai…" Iryann agreed, sighing with relief once the cunning thief let go of her cheeks. She rubbed her face and smiled sheepishly, "Thanks a lot, then."

"That's more like it!" Nami smirked, grabbing the shoes they were going to purchase for their new friend and looking around, "We should make sure Zoro's still out there, he probably ran off to find a bar or somethi—"

"Somebody get a doctor!" the yells coming from the street made the three girls look at each other with confused expressions.

There was a small crowd gathering outside the store, and some people were running out to see what had happened. Nami suddenly felt her stomach clench with worry and dropped the shoes as she stood up. She looked at Vivi and Iryann and remembered that the blonde couldn't walk.

"I'll go see what happened, you guys stay here."

"But Nami-san!" Vivi saw her friend run out of the building and also started to worry, she looked over at Iryann and saw her own expression mirrored in the blonde's. "Let me help you up, Iryann-san."

* * *

Nami reached the small crowd outside the store. She couldn't see what they were gathering around and was trying to make her way between the people. She couldn't help but overhear the conversations that were going on around her.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, a man just had some sort of heart attack."

"It seems pretty serious; he started coughing out blood like crazy."

The navigator felt her chest tighten and her eyes dilated with worry. _It couldn't be!_ She thought as she pushed her way into the center of the crowd with renewed urgency. _Please don't let it be him!_

She reached the center, and she saw what she had feared the most. Zoro was on his knees, gasping for air. There was blood on his hand and his shirt, and he still had a hand clenched over his heart.

"Zoro!" the man looked up weakly, his eyes clouded by the pain searching through the crowd, trying to find who had called his name. Nami saw this and felt the tears come to her eyes again; she blinked them away and sank to her knees beside the swordsman. He flinched as he felt someone beside him, but did not have the strength to move away; he was still trying to catch his breath. The navigator noticed his reaction and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, Zoro, it's me." The swordsman seemed to relax at this and he looked at her before suddenly jerking away as he had another coughing fit. Nami bit her lip as she rubbed her hand across his back, wincing at the hacking coughs that were racking through the green haired man's body.

He glanced at her again and then looked back down as he tried to stand up, wincing at the pain in his chest, his hand still clenched over his heart. Nami stood up with him, ready to help him if his knees gave out.

The swordsman finally got to his feet; he wavered slightly and started losing his balance again, but managed to hold his ground.

"Hey kid, you should really wait to be checked by a doctor." A man from the crowd voiced as they all watched the young man struggle to keep standing. For some reason they didn't understand, they all made way for the injured man, experiencing a feeling of respect and awe at the swordsman's determination to keep walking.

"Zoro, you're in no--"

"I'm fine!" he rasped as he gave a stubborn step forward, only to feel another surge of pain at his heart and groan between clenched teeth, momentarily losing his balance but managing to keep his feet under him once again. Zoro still tried to give another step, struggling to walk while Nami watched with evident worry in her eyes.

"Zoro please!" she begged.

But the swordsman wouldn't give in. Breathing heavily, his hand still gripping at his chest, he tried moving his leg once more…only to find he couldn't. Everything was slowly turning black, and he started falling forward.

Nami watched horrified as Zoro hit the ground in a cloud of dust, and ran to the fallen swordsman.

"ZORO!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 13**

"Robin, have you found the book you were looking for?" Chopper looked up at the archeologist as he walked beside her in his walking point, seemingly a normal reindeer pacing down the streets.

"I'm afraid not, Doctor-san," she said with a smile, "But I'm sure I'll find it eventually."

"Nyaaa~! Robin-chwan is so beautiful when she smileees~" A love-struck cook cooed as he walked by her other side, holding the bags with their supplies (which Chopper also helped carrying).

Robin glanced at Sanji and smiled sweetly, which made the cook start swirling around with hearts in his eyes while singing his mellorine song. She giggled. When she had seen him start walking towards the market with the reindeer, she had tagged along saying that she needed to find a book, and that she would probably find a book store on their way to the plaza. Of course she could've probably found one if she went with Nami and the others as well, but why waste the chance of spending some time with the handsome cook? She smiled to herself.

"Eh? Why is there so many people here?" Both Sanji and Robin looked ahead and, true enough, they saw a small crowd gathering in front of what looked like a pretty big shoe store. "Is there some kind of show?"

Robin frowned slightly, something wasn't right. The people looked nervous and worried. The cook seemed to notice something was off as well, but he got momentarily distracted as he saw Vivi walking out of the store, trying her best to help Iryann without making her use her leg.

"Vivi-chan?" he asked. Chopper heard him, and immediately searched for the blue haired princess with his brown eyes. As soon as he saw her and the injured blonde, he quickly got into doctor-mode and started running towards the girls.

"Vivi! Iryann!" both girls turned around and saw them approaching. Sanji frowned, they seemed worried. As he looked around, he noticed Nami wasn't with them, and that neither was the green haired swordsman.

"Where the hell is that marimo?" he asked annoyed, "He's supposed to carry Iryann-chan! She's injured, for God's sake!"

Chopper gasped, and all eyes turned to him. He looked at them worriedly.

"I smell blood," Sanji and Robin tensed, "It's Z—"

"ZORO!"

They all turned towards the crowd, where the horrified scream had come from.

"Nami-san?" the color drained from Sanji's face as he understood what was probably going on, and without thinking twice, he made his way through the multitude to confirm his suspicions. What he saw made him curse under his breath.

Zoro was on the ground, unmoving. There was blood on the street just a couple feet behind him, and Nami was kneeling next to him with tears in her eyes. _This is not good._

He made his way towards the worried navigator and kneeled down beside her.

"Nami-san, what happened?"

"Sanji-kun!" she looked at him, her eyes dilated with fear and worry, "Z-zoro just…his heart…I don't know what to do!" she was in so much panic that she couldn't get her words straight. And it pained the cook to see her like that. He looked back in search of their doctor.

"Chopper!"

"I'm here!" the reindeer was already with them and checking the fallen man's pulse; Robin, Vivi and Iryann following not too far behind.

The cook frowned. _This is definitely worse than all the other times…_The swordsman's breathing was labored, as though every intake of oxygen was a torturous act on itself; each breath followed by a low rasp. He looked pale, and his brow was covered in cold sweat. The last time Sanji had seen his friend look like this, had been when they had found him after Kuma's first attack, and they hadn't known if he would make it.

"His pulse is too fast!" the doctor panicked as he looked up from his patient; "We need to get him to the Sunny now!" he transformed into his yeti form, surprising most of the people in the crowd, and took the man in his arms. The action caused the swordsman to arch his back and scream in agony, as his hand gripped over his heart with desperate strength and another round of hacking coughs racked his body, making him cough out more blood.

"Zoro!" The navigator yelled, tears now rolling down her cheeks, as she stood from the ground and ran towards the doctor, only to find herself being held back by the cook. "L-Let me go! He's in pain!"

"I know, Nami-san," the cook answered softly, trying to calm her down as he pressed her to his chest, "But right now, the last thing we have to do is panic; all we can do for him is trust Chopper and take him to the ship as soon as possible. He'll be okay. I promise." The navigator let out a strangled sob, and she bit her lip as Vivi ran to hug her, sporting a few worried tears of her own.

"Sanji, I'll take Zoro," Chopper informed, "You carry Iryann back to the ship."

"Hai." The cook responded as he walked towards the blonde, who was staring at the scene with glazed eyes, a sea of emotions and confusion evident in her gaze. "Iryann-chan, let's go." She looked up at Sanji, and he saw the helplessness in her ice-blue irises as she came back from her shock and nodded slightly. He turned around and crouched so that she could climb on his back. "Ready?"

"Yes." Her voice so soft it was merely a whisper, but just loud enough for the cook to hear it. He nodded and stood up before running after the doctor and the others.

Robin was going to follow, when she noticed that something had fallen from the swordsman's hands as he was lifted from the ground by the reindeer. She walked towards it, and grabbed it. _An Eternal Pose? _She read the inscription. _…Komakai…_

"Robin-chan! We have to go!" she shook looked up and saw the cook running in the distance. Looking back at the glass artifact, she frowned and put it in her bag before she ran to catch up with the rest. She'd think about it later.

* * *

Luffy had just gotten back to the ship. And he was hungry.

"Nyaaa~" he whined as he sprawled across the grassy deck of the Sunny, "When's Sanji coming back? I'm hungry~!"

"What? You're back already?" Franky walked over to the starving boy and lifted his sunglasses to his brow, "It's not even dinner time yet!"

"I didn't have money so I couldn't buy any foooood~!" the boy whined, his tongue rolling out of his mouth, "I asked Nami this morning but she said that I had already spent a lot in the last island!" he pouted, "That's mean!"

"But Luffy, you did spend a lot of money that time," Usopp reminded him as he sat next to his captain, "It's no wonder she wouldn't give you any now."

"But I'm hungryyyyyy~!"

"Yohohoho! Luffy-san! Allow me to calm your raging stomach with one of my songs!" the happy skeleton laughed as he made his way towards them from the galley, his violin in his hands.

"Shishishishishi! Okay!" Luffy chirped as he sat back up and put his hat in place, "Thanks Brook!"

"Hmmm…what shall I play?" the skeleton brought his bony hand to his chin and put on a thinking pose.

"Just don't make it a sad one," Franky mentioned as he lay on his back, "It's been stressful enough around here…"

Usopp laughed, "Yeah, but it's been a bit calmer these last two days," he rubbed under his nose, "I hope it stays like that for a whi—"

"OOI!!"

All four of them jumped to their feet as they heard the yell.

"Isn't that Chopper?"

"You mean Sanji and him are back?! YAY~!" the boy skipped his way towards the railing in a state of pure joy and started waving at them, "Oi! Sanjiii~! Hurry up I'm hu—" the boy's smile died on his lips when he saw the limp body of his first mate being carried by the doctor, while the rest of his crew ran behind them, "Z-zoro."

Usopp went to the railing as well, only to gasp at the sight before him. "What the hell happened!?" he screamed, "Oi! What's wrong with Zoro?!"

As they got on the ship, Chopper did not stop for explanations and just darted towards the infirmary; Nami, Sanji (with Iryann still on his back) and Robin following close behind; and Vivi staying back so that she could give some explanations.

Luffy looked at her in the eyes and asked with a serious face, "What happened?"

Vivi's eyes were still full of fear and worry for the swordsman, and the grave look on Luffy's eyes was not exactly helping the words come out of her quivering lips. She glanced around and saw the rest were equally worried and serious, so she sighed and drew her eyes back to her captain.

"I didn't see how it happened," she whispered, "When I got there he was already on the ground. It seems like there's something wrong with his heart…he keeps coughing out blood and holding his chest."

Luffy's eyes were momentarily shaded by his hat, and the rest stayed in silence. He had promised to himself that he would trust his first mate, even though he had been worried about his health. But this was too much.

_Sorry Zoro, but I'm not going to stand back this time._

And with that, he ran towards the infirmary, the rest of his nakama following close behind.

* * *

Chopper kicked the door open as he arrived, knowing that he had no time to lose. Zoro's blood pressure was still rising, for what reason, he did not know. But he intended to find a solution as soon as possible. The swordsman had had several coughing fits on their way to the ship, and the amount of blood that he had ejected from his mouth was utterly concerning.

The doctor reached the bed of the infirmary and laid him carefully on the mattress. However, as soon as his body was put on the soft bed, Zoro gripped at his heart again with a grunt as he clenched the sheets with the other hand. It seemed like the pain got even worse as his head shot back and he arched his back, a bloodcurdling scream coming out of his mouth. The other people in the room cringed; Sanji put an arm around Nami as the navigator's eyes were filled with tears once again. They had never heard the swordsman scream like that.

"Chopper! What the hell is wrong with him!?" Sanji asked as he watched the doctor feel Zoro's pulse once again.

"I don't know!" he cried, "His pulse just keeps rising, he's going to go into cardiac arrest if it keeps going like that!" he looked around and remembered the last machine Franky had built for him, "I need to see what's causing this, I need to see his heart!" And so he sprinted to the closet at the end of the room, so that he could find the machine.

"Ch-cho…pper!" they all turned to see the swordsman looking at the reindeer with half hooded eyes, panting and grunting between each word he uttered, "The eter…na—ugh!" he paused slightly to grip at his chest once more as his eyes clenched shut to deal with the pain, "The et-ternal po…se, where i-is…it?"

"It's right here, Zoro," all eyes turned to Robin, who was now beside the swordsman, "Should we put course to this island?"

The swordsman smiled slightly before grunting again at the pain in his chest, "Y-yeah…Dat…te m-might—ngh!" Iryann's eyes widened at the mention of Datte, while Sanji stomped his way towards the bed.

"Stop talking, you damn marimo!" he yelled, "You need to stop talking or Chopper won't be able to do anything you idiot!"

"Sh-shut up…cook!" Zoro rasped with a small grin, then looked at up Robin, "R-robin…please."

"We have to wait until you're stable, Zoro," She said with a grave look in her eyes, "I promise you we'll do it once we're sure that you are okay."

"Zoro!" Luffy stormed through the door and ran towards the bed, with Usopp, Franky, Vivi and Brook following behind.

The swordsman smiled to his captain, a smile that was filled with pain and agony, but still warm nonetheless. "H-hey…captain…" he grunted and clenched the sheets tighter.

Luffy could feel a lump forming at his throat and had to fight to keep the tears from forming at his eyes, he had never seen Zoro look so weak and in agony. He stared at his black eyes, which were clouded by the pain, and frowned, "Don't you dare die on me. Captain's order!"

Zoro chuckled but then started coughing; he gripped at his heart tighter and leaned to his side as blood started spurting out of his mouth, "Zoro!"

"I found it!" Chopper ran back to the bed and stood by Zoro's chest as Luffy moved to the side, "Zoro, I need you to stay as still as you can, I know it's not easy, but I need to see what's wrong with your heart." He looked at the hand clenched over the swordsman's heart, "You're gonna need to let your chest go, or I won't be able to see it."

"Sure thing," The swordsman spat the blood that was still in his mouth and laid back, his hand leaving his chest to clench the sheets, "J-just…hurry."

"I will." The reindeer then looked back at Luffy, "We need to get his shirt off," And without a word, Luffy helped the swordsman take off his bloodied shirt and lean back on the mattress. The movement made Zoro grunt and clench the sheets tighter, but he managed to stay put. Chopper then proceeded to cover the man's torso with a thick, black, plastic sheet. Once that was done, he plugged three cords to the strange wrapping and moved to the screen that Franky had already started setting up.

"With this, we should be able to see what's causing his blood pressure to be this high." He informed them, as they all leaned towards the screen. The doctor looked at the Cyborg, and nodded. Franky then pressed two buttons and turned a switch. The screen then lit up, and the crew was amazed at the fact that, indeed, they could see the swordsman's heart, as well as the nearest arteries and veins.

Sanji was the first to notice something was very wrong, and as he saw it, the color drained from his face. "What the hell is that?"

The others soon saw what Sanji meant, and their expressions instantly mirrored the cook's. Around Zoro's heart, there was a black mass that seemed to be strangling the organ, making it beat uncontrollably under a huge amount of pressure. As they all leaned in to see it better, they realized it was like a claw…like a black hand that had literally clenched the swordsman's heart, and was not letting it go.

Just then, right before their eyes, the hand started clenching the man's heart with greater force and ,behind them, Zoro's head shot back as he screamed in agony.

"Chopper!" Luffy yelled, his eyes moving between the screen and his first mate.

The reindeer looked as helpless as any of them, trembling slightly as he saw the black claw strangle his friend's heart…and realized he couldn't do anything.

"I-I…I can't…I don't know…" he mumbled, his lips quivering as tears started rolling down his furry cheeks. "I-I ca-an't h-help Zoro!" the little creature sobbed, rubbing his eyes with his small hoofs.

Vivi felt her heart brake in half when she saw the poor reindeer's helpless tears, and so she hugged him tightly to her chest, trying to calm the small doctor with reassuring words as she rocked gently, like she would when calming down a child.

"It's not your fault, Chopper." They all turned to Iryann, who was still sitting on the chair Sanji had left her on, and had her eyes full of tears, "…Kaien's the one doing that to Zoro…" she looked down, "And it's all because of me. It's my fault." Her shoulders were trembling as she tried to keep herself from sobbing, and she looked at the rest of the crew, "I'm so sorry."

"D-don't…" all eyes were now on Zoro, who was still trying to keep himself from screaming in pain, "Don't y-you…dare…blame yourself," he rasped, his black eyes slightly glazed in agony but fierce nonetheless, "N-no matter…what happens…don't you dare…blame yourself!"

"Zoro! You need to stop talking!" Nami was by his side, tears rolling down her cheeks, and with a trembling hand, she held onto his, "Please!"

On the screen, the dark hand once again strangled his heart, this time with more strength than ever before, and Zoro could not help it. He shot his head back and screamed.

"His heart is going crazy!" Sanji yelled, his eyes not leaving the screen for one second, "That bastard's gonna make it explode!"

The swordsman opened his eyes once more, breathing heavily, and looked at the navigator in front of him. She was still holding his hand, looking at him with wide caramel eyes. Gathering all the strength he had left, he took a deep breath and called her name, "Nami…"

Nami's eyes widened as she heard him say her name, he was gasping for air and couldn't make words leave his lips anymore. Then she felt his hand pulling on her, making her lean in until her head was next to his, and a lone tear rolled done her cheeks as she heard him whisper raggedly.

"_I love you."_

And suddenly, everything was quiet. Zoro stopped struggling. The dark hand faded away. And the heart on the screen stopped beating.

Everyone in the room grew silent. Nami was frozen in place, unable to react. Luffy stepped forward, lips quivering.

"Zoro?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda.**

**Chapter 14**

"Zoro?" Luffy felt his chest tighten and the lump in his throat come back as he stepped over to the still figure of his best friend. The calm expression in those closed eyes that had been glazed with pain just moments ago made his lips quiver, "Z-zoro! What the hell are you doing?!" he grabbed the man's shirt and tried to shake him awake, still wishing he was only asleep, "Wake up! Stop sleeping!" He sobbed, his view being blurred by the tears, "Don't die! You can't! Captain's order! Zoro! ZORO!"

Nami stood up, her eyes still wide as the tears flowed ceaselessly down her cheeks, her hand finding way to her mouth. _It wasn't true._ Vivi fell to her knees, still hugging the sobbing doctor close to her. Usopp was trembling, stepping back slowly until he stumbled with the small room's desk. _It couldn't be._ Zoro could not be dead, could he? Franky and Brook just stared helplessly from the corner, the cyborg's eyes already full with tears as the skeleton gaped at what had just happened. Iryann was still sitting, biting her lip and hugging herself to silence the sobs and screams of sorrow that threatened to come out of her mouth.

Sanji could only stare at the lifeless heart on the screen, his eyes wide and his hands trembling in fists at his sides. _This had to be a joke. This was not real._ The marimo could not be dead. And yet, no matter how hard he stared at his heart, it would not move. And the cursed Black Hand was gone as well. Luffy was still calling for the idiot, his voice breaking continuously between sobs and tears. He turned to them, and looked at the swordsman for the first time since the hand had disappeared. He felt a lump form at his throat. _That idiot! Why is it always you!? Why do you always end up carrying the entire burden! Why does it always end up being you who protects the crew!? Why do you always take it upon yourself to be the sacrifice!? Why do I always end up doing nothing!? Why can't I ever be able to save you!? Why!? WHY ZORO!?_

Robin's eyes were wide in panic, a lone tear rolling down her cheek as she took on what was going on in front of her. Zoro was dead. The man he'd grown so close to during the past months had died right in front of her and she hadn't been able to do anything. Just like in Thriller Bark, like when he got those attacks and she could only watch and wait for them to end; just like in _Shabondy Archipelago_, when the marine admiral had his foot in the air and about to kill him and she hadn't been able to help him. She looked at Sanji, and saw the same helplessness and frustration reflected in his lone eye...in the way his hands shook at his sides.

His hands.

Her face shot towards Zoro's unmoving chest, blue eyes flaring with renewed determination. _That's it!_

"Sanji." The cook turned to her immediately, surprised at hearing her calling him by his real name. The look in her eyes said it all, and he immediately understood what she had in mind. A second later they both dashed towards the bed – Sanji having to rip Luffy off of Zoro's chest – and got started.

Sanji pressed the palms of his hands to the swordsman's chest, and pushed down hard at a regular pace, trying to force the heart back into function.

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5._ "Come on, marimo!" Robin then opened Zoro's mouth and pinched his nose, blowing air into his lungs.

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5._ They continued for what seemed an eternity. Sanji pressed his heart, Robin blew air into him.

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5._ Tears flowed from Robin's eyes and clouded her view, but she did not stop giving him air.

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5._ "Shit!" Sanji could feel his eyes burn at the lack of results, and felt the frustration and fear build up in his stomach, "COME ON!"

The rest could only watch. Some already giving up hope, but still keeping their eyes on the unmoving swordsman nonetheless.

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5._ Luffy was on the ground, his eyes wide and unblinking as he watched his nakama do everything possible to save his first mate.

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5._ Nami stared at them, still unable to react after the last words the swordsman had whispered to her in his final breath.

_1, 2, 3, 4, 5._ Chopper had disentangled himself from Vivi and gave directions to the cook and the archeologist every now and then.

Robin fell to her knees, gasping for air. It wasn't working. Her bangs hid her tears as her hands covered her blue eyes in an attempt to hide her sobs from the rest. Sanji was still at it, now more hitting the man than pushing down. Tears of frustration had started falling from his eyes, as he brought his fist slamming down on Zoro's chest one last time, his knees also giving out and making him sink beside the bed. Breathing heavily and trembling.

Iryann looked up and saw them fall, shattering everyone's last hope of ever seeing the swordsman open his eyes again. Her mind screamed in hatred for the man that had done this to his friend, and she looked up to the screen. Her eyes widened and she stumbled out of her chair, almost falling as she leaned on her injured leg. She had just imagined things, right? It couldn't be.

The heart was moving.

"Chopper!!" They all turned to her as she pointed to the screen, tears of relief flowing down her cheeks. The doctor sprinted from the ground and looked at the weakly beating heart; his eyes widening beyond belief. Again he turned into doctor-mode and turned back to his nakama.

"Everybody out!" he ordered, "I need all of you to wait outside!"

Their eyes immediately fell on the beating heart, feeling their chests burst with relief at the sight of movement. They stood up and left the room, Nami being the last one to leave as she gave a last glance to the already working doctor and the seemingly dead swordsman, before closing the door behind her.

* * *

Hours went by, and they were all sitting in the galley; Sanji making coffee for all of them while the rest just tried to keep still. The cook's hands were trembling as he struggled not to drop the cups, and Robin found herself going to him and helping him out, giving the blonde a small smile as he looked at her with fear still present in his lone eye.

"Thank you," he whispered as he turned his attention back to the coffee. The woman just nodded and also focused on the task at hand. Both trying to keep themselves busy to forget their nakama, if only for a moment.

Luffy was sitting on the small sofa in the room, elbows on his knees and hands hiding his eyes from view. He seemed devastated, and completely lost. Not being able to take it anymore, Vivi sat next to him and hugged him tight, rocking slightly as her hand caressed his tangled black hair. The boy held onto her for dear life, shuddering, unable to bear the thought of what he would do if his best friend were to leave him. "He'll be okay." She whispered to him over and over again, holding him even closer when a muffled sob escaped Luffy's lips.

Franky was on his tenth coke by then, a pile of crystal bottles on the table in front of him. Brook drank his tea quietly, seemingly calm and collected, if it were not by the tinkling of his trembling bony hands with the porcelain cup. Usopp was sitting next to him, sketch book and pencil in hand trying his hardest to keep himself from thinking of the man behind the infirmary door, continuously erasing the sloppy drafts of a certain swordsman and rubbing his eyes with his arm to keep more tears from staining the paper.

Nami and Iryann were sitting on a corner, both silent and deep in their thoughts. The blonde glanced at the navigator's trembling hands, and heard her muffled sob. Forgetting about her own sadness, she hugged the girl and rubbed her back soothingly. Nami immediately let herself be calmed, and leaned into the cold skin of the blonde girl, the freshness of her hands making her eyes close as she sighed.

The words Zoro whispered to her came back once again, and she flinched slightly, making Iryann tighten her hold on her. She opened her eyes and looked up at the girl, feeling he could trust her. She opened her mouth slightly and hesitated momentarily before whispering, low enough that only she could hear.

"He told me…" she met Iryann's ice-blue eyes and saw curiosity melted with the sadness, sorrow and anger that her irises portrayed and gave her a small smile, "…He told me that he loves me…" the blonde's eyes widened slightly before softening and smiling down at the navigator.

"And how do you feel about that?" she asked softly, earning a bitter chuckle from the navigator as she sat up straight, leaning back on the wall as her eyes looked up to the ceiling.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, "Until today I thought I was the only stupid one that had these feelings…and I was fine with that…" her hands closed in a fist, "But then he had to go and say that…and then I realized he'd been going through the same," she laughed bitterly, "He just had to go and tell me right when he was about to…die," her lips quivered, "That idiot."

Iryann smiled sadly at the navigator. The girl loved Zoro; that much was clear. She looked at the door of the galley and sighed. Now all that was left was wait and hope for Zoro to live.

* * *

"My, my, what an interesting turn of events," Kaien chuckled darkly as he watched the swordsman and the doctor, "He survived after all…"

"For a moment there I thought you were really going to kill him," Itami's voice echoed near, and Kaien's golden eyes moved towards the redhead standing by his side, "I knew you wanted to get back what belongs to you…" he smirked, "But I never would have thought you'd risk it in such a way…"

Kaien's laughter reverberated within the walls of the cave, "Yes, I did risk it a bit too much, didn't I?" his eyes went back to the still waters of the pond, the image resting on the barely breathing swordsman, "But you know how much I enjoy the sight of a powerful man screaming in agony…especially when the cause of his torture is none other than myself," he chuckled, "It was so tempting that I found myself stepping over the line a little…I guess I just wanted to test his strength; see how much it took to take him down." The feral smile on the white man's lips made shivers run up the redhead's spine, and his emerald eyes also fell on the man on the waters.

_I wouldn't want to be in your skin, Roronoa…_

His thoughts were interrupted as his master turned his attention to him once again.

"Since you're already back, I assume you've accomplished what was assigned to you." He said, his golden eyes narrowing just slightly as he studied Itami's expression. The man in question looked up at him with a smile and the satisfaction of a job well done obvious in his emerald eyes. Kaien smiled back, "I see," he then turned his attention back to the water, the image changing to that of Iryann, "Well done, my boy," he extended his pale hand over the pond and the image went blurry, "Now all that is left is to wait for our guests to come…"

* * *

By the time the door to the infirmary opened slowly, it was already past midnight. Waking everyone in the room as they sprinted towards the reindeer to know what had happened.

What little light was in the room shaded the doctor's eyes from view, and when he looked up, they could see the exhaustion in his black wide eyes. Chopper's expression made them all think the worst…but then the reindeer smiled, and they all felt like dropping to the floor as the tension was heaved from their chests. "He'll live; everything's going to be fine."

"Can we see him?" Luffy was obviously desperate to witness the miracle with his own eyes, and the doctor found it impossible to say no.

"Yes, but not for too long," he explained; "He's still weak and he needs rest." And with that, they all ran to the room and almost kicked the door open.

He was awake. Sitting and leaning on three pillows that propped him up. He looked awful; there were dark rings under his eyes, and his skin was pale and slightly wet with cold sweat. His bloodied shirt did nothing but to worsen his aspect and he could barely keep his eyes open as he glanced at them. And yet…

He was smiling.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled as he ran to his side, all but jumping on the swordsman and hugging him tightly. The first mate grunted slightly at the pain, but kept the smile on his lips as he hugged him back.

"Luffy! I told you he's still very weak!" Chopper yelled from the door.

"Sorry!" He moved back from his best friend, still not able to stop smiling.

"It's fine," Zoro said, his voice still hoarse from the pain, as he ruffled his captain's wild hair, making the kid laugh once more.

"You scared us, mosshead." Sanji said with a smirk as he stood beside the bed, lighting up a cigarette.

Zoro chuckled and managed to smirk back, "Did I make you worry, cook?"

"Like hell you did," he replied with a barely repressed smile.

"We knew you were alive!" both Franky and Usopp made themselves known as they sobbed all over the swordsman, "We knew it!"

Sanji smirked as the swordsman tried to rid himself of his crying nakama, "Is that the face of someone who knew?"

"Yohohohohoho! Zoro-san!" Brook extended his long bony arms as he walked towards the group near the bed, "I think I just thought of a new song! I'll be delighted to play it for you once you've recovered!"

"Thanks Brook," the green haired man smiled. He was exhausted, and yet he did not have the heart to let himself fall asleep, not until he'd seen all of them.

"Mr. Bushido!" the blue haired princess hugged the man gently, careful not to hurt him, "I'm so glad you're alright!"

The man returned the hug, and closed his eyes for a moment, "Sorry for worrying you, Vivi." The girl kissed him on the cheek before joining Luffy at his bedside, who put an arm around her and held her close to him with his trademark grin shinning on his face.

"Like I promised, we'll put course to Komakai next morning," Zoro looked up to see Robin, who was smiling warmly at him, she finally walked next to him and hugged him with the same care Vivi had shown, "You made me worry."

"Sorry Robin…and thank you for bringing me back…" he smiled, and looked at Sanji, who was watching a couple steps away, "You too, cook."

"Don't mention it." He exhaled smoke and smirked back.

"Zoro," Iryann limped her way to his side, and sat next to him, her eyes shaded by her ash-blonde bangs, "I'm sorry, if I had not involved you in this, none of this would have happened."

Zoro sighed, "Come here." And with that, he pulled the girl into a hug, "None of this was your fault," he lowered his voice to a whisper, "This has been happening for a while before you came. So don't blame yourself." He then looked at her, his tired eyes lifting all the guilt from her shoulders. And all the girl could do was nod with a small smile, feeling the lump in her throat form once again.

"Thank you," she whispered one last time before standing up.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Zoro," Luffy waved as he walked out with Vivi by his side. Usopp and Brook following close behind, with an exhausted Chopper smiling from the skeleton's shoulders. Franky then picked Iryann up, and carried her out of the room, both saying their goodbyes to the swordsman as they left with a smile on their face.

Sanji and Robin were the last to leave, both glancing at the navigator, who had stayed quiet in a corner the whole time, as they walked out and closed the door behind them.

Zoro looked at Nami. He had nothing left to say, so he waited for her to say what she needed; waited to hear her response. It was all in her hands now.

She finally moved from the wall, and started walking towards him, her eyes hidden from view, her shoulders tense. She reached his side and came to a stop, sitting down on the mattress, while still looking down.

When she finally looked at him, he could see the unshed tears in her eyes, and all the relief and anger that were flaring in her irises at the same time. She closed her eyes, letting the tears roll down her cheeks.

He waited.

Then she slowly climbed further on the mattress, and she opened her eyes, her small hands cupping his face gently, as her caramel eyes stared right at his tired black ones. She leaned down and gently pressed her forehead against his, closing her eyes once more as she brought their lips together in a soft kiss.

Zoro's eyes drifted close, he was so exhausted he could barely respond to her kiss. But she caressed his hair in silent understanding.

They parted, and Zoro found himself trying to beg for her forgiveness.

"Nami, I'm sorry, I--"

Her response was a light bump on the head, making him look up to her with slightly wide eyes.

"Idiot." She chuckled before caressing his face softly, "Just…" she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, hiding her face in his chest, "…Don't ever scare me like that again."

Zoro came down from his shock and smiled, returning her hug as he brought his arms around her.

However, the sweetness came to an abrupt end as she sat straight once more and smirked at him with the old mischief. "By the way, I raised your debt 1,000,000 Beri."

His eyes widened once more as he looked up at the smirking navigator, but he found himself chuckling and closing his eyes as he leaned back on the pillows with a sigh, "Whatever witch."

Seconds later he was already fast asleep, and Nami smiled warmly at him. The stress and exhaustion from that day finally hitting her as she curled up beside him, a smile on her lips as she drifted into the land of dreams.

* * *

"Morning Sanji-san!"

"Ah, Vivi-chan!" the cook turned his eyes from the pancakes and smiled at the princess, "Good morning!"

"UAAAH! BREAKFAST!" Luffy yelled excitedly as he stormed in the galley.

"Luffy!! Zoro's still resting!" Chopper lectured him from close behind.

"That's true, Luffy, try to keep it down," Sanji said as he turned the pancakes on the pan, "It's almost ready."

Moments later, the crew was gathered around the table, and Sanji was setting the breakfast on it. His mellorine-radar then gave off an alarm. Nami was not there.

"Yay! Food!" Luffy was about to launch himself at the pancakes when he was abruptly stopped by a foot colliding with his face.

"Hold it, shitty-gomu!" he scowled, "Nami-san's not here yet! And until she's here no one will be eating anything!"

"WHAT?! I'll go get her!" Luffy announced, standing from the floor with his face still red.

"I'll help you, Captain-san," Robin said with a smile, following the captain out the door.

"Wait Robin-chan!" Sanji left the pancakes on the table and ran after her.

Silence filled the room as the rest of the crew stared at the pancakes with hungry looks.

"I guess we'll have to wait."

They all sighed and tried to keep their hands from the appetizing breakfast as they waited for their nakama.

* * *

Luffy ran down the hallway, and stormed into the girl's room, "Nami~!! Breakfa—eh?" he scratched his head with puzzlement as he noticed the navigator was nowhere to be found.

"Oh my," Robin smiled as she joined the confused captain in the room, "Could it be that she's still in Swordsman-san's room?"

"What?" Sanji bellowed, "The infirmary?"

"Let's check!" Luffy chirped as he ran towards the small sick bay, followed closely by Robin and Sanji.

As the boy opened the door, different expressions came to their faces at what they saw inside. Luffy was smiling his trademark face-splitting grin, while Sanji was gaping, and Robin stifled a giggle.

They found Nami alright.

She was deeply asleep right next to their first mate, who also seemed to be fast asleep and oblivious to the staring. They looked so peaceful that not even Sanji had the heart to yell at the horror of his Nami-swan sleeping next to that mongrel.

"Shishishishi!" Luffy giggled as he looked at his sleeping nakama.

Robin smiled at the happily dreaming couple. _Good for you, Navigator-san_. She then turned to the cook.

"We should let them sleep a bit more, cook-san," she smiled at him, "They can get breakfast later." And with that, she started walking back

That seemed to bring Luffy's mind back to the waiting pancakes as his eyes gleamed with renewed hunger as he ran back to the galley while holding his hat in place, "Yay~!! Breakfast~!!

Sanji stared at the swordsman and the navigator a couple seconds more before he felt a smile tugging at his lips. He took a cigarette out and lit it before closing the door quietly. He walked slowly back to the galley, hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face.

"Take care of her, marimo."


	15. Chapter 15

**Diclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 15**

Nami's eyes fluttered open, her mind still clouded by dreams of money and oranges...and something green she could not quite place yet. She brought a hand to her tired eyes and pushed her messy bangs from her face. She stretched her arms and arched her back, much like a cat would, and only then did she bother to look at her surroundings. First thing that came to mind was…

_This isn't my room…_

A soft grunt brought her eyes down to the bed again, and what she saw, or rather _who_ she saw lying next to her, made her eyes widen slightly in surprise.

Zoro was sleeping quietly by her side, his normally frowning face softened and serene, his usually scowling mouth slightly parted and letting out soft breaths. He looked so peaceful and vulnerable that Nami wouldn't dare to move, in case the man were to wake up. Her eyes then shined with slight curiosity and fascination, as her hand reached up to the sleeping swordsman's face.

_He looks so different when he sleeps…_

Her delicate fingers grazed his cheeks, moving up to his hair and stroking his green short bangs gently. It was actually…soft? Her eyes twinkled with childlike wonder as her hand caressed his hair. Her gaze fell once again on his serene face, and she felt a smile tug on her lips.

Then the calmness left as the swordsman grunted quietly and winced slightly before his dark eyes fluttered open. His eyes were still glazed by sleep and so Nami used that chance to remove her hand from his hair. The movement seemed to alert the swordsman as his eyes darted sideways to met hers, and all the exhaustion faded from his dark stare as he raised an eyebrow.

"G-good morning Zoro~!" She sang happily, hoping he'd refrain from asking the question she knew was about to leave his (extremely appetizing) lips.

A small smirk spread across those same lips as Zoro understood what had happened.

"You slept here." It was not a question.

"No." she replied bluntly.

His eyes shined with something akin to amusement as his smirk widened. "Oh?"

"I fell asleep," she said stubbornly, with a small pout that almost made him burst out laughing, "It's totally different; I had no plans to sleep next to you whatsoever."

"Is that so…" he was still smirking, and it was driving her nuts. So she couldn't help but to finally explode.

"OKAY FINE!" She admitted in frustrated annoyance, "I slept here," then she crossed her arms and put on her usual challenging face, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, ma'am." he chuckled and tried to sit up straight, wincing slightly but finding that the pain was mostly gone, he only felt some ache in his chest, just like every other time after he'd gotten those attacks.

Nami, however, took it as a sign that he was still in pain, and worry took over her annoyance as she eyed him nervously, "You shouldn't move much."

"I'm fine," the look she gave him made him specify, "This happens every time, it's just a bit of soreness. Nothing to worry about." And with that he flew his feet from the bed and stood up perfectly fine, eyeing his bloodied shirt with a small frown.

"_Nothing to worry about_?" she repeated, her eyes blazing with rage at his carelessness, "You basically had a heart attack a few hours ago, strong enough to stop your heart for a few minutes, and you say this is _nothing to worry about_?!"

Zoro mumbled a few curses with his eyes still on his tattered shirt, "Damn I'm gonna need to buy more shirts," then he looked at the raging navigator and huffed in annoyance, "Look woman, I know you're worried, but you have to trust me. After the attacks, I just feel a little soreness in the chest that goes away in two minutes! It's nothing, I'm serious!"

He started pacing towards the door, and as he reached to doorknob, the dumbfounded navigator fell out of her shock and stomped right after him, her face still red with anger and fury.

"Don't you dare walk away from me, Roronoa Zoro!" she screamed; intent on getting the man back to the infirmary, "Get back here! NOW!"

"Oh shut up, witch!!"

* * *

"Sanji! Food~!" Sanji's curly eyebrow twitched as his captain stormed into the galley with yet _another_ demand for food.

Robin, Franky, Vivi and Iryann watched from the deck as their rubbery captain flew from the kitchen (once again) and was slammed against the mast with a loud smack that almost made them wince.

"You'd think he would've learned by now…" the cyborg commented as he brought his attention back to what he was doing.

Robin giggled and turned her eyes back to her book, "Oh, you know how Captain-san is."

"I feel bad for Sanji-san," Vivi said, "Having to deal with this every time…"

Iryann sweatdropped and glanced at the unmoving figure of the straw hat boy, "…Shouldn't you be worried about Luffy?"

"ZORO! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

"NO!"

All eyes fell on the two yelling crewmates as they stormed out on deck. Sanji walked out of the galley, alarmed at hearing his upset Nami-swan. Luffy raised his flattened face from the grass, and looked up to the arguing couple with bemusement.

"You're in NO shape to be walking about right now!" she screamed, "So GET YOUR ASS BACK IN THERE!"

"I'm telling you I'm perfectly FINE!!" Zoro roared, coming to a stop and turning to face the fuming navigator, "Now LEAVE ME ALONE WITCH!"

"Hey marimo! Don't talk to Nami-san like tha—"

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" They both yelled in unison before going back to glaring at each other.

Sanji, and the rest of the crew watched with dumbfounded expressions as the first mate and the navigator went at each other's throats.

"Zoro! You shouldn't be out of bed! so GET BACK IN THERE!"

"And I'm telling you for the twentieth time, I'M FINE!"

"NO, YOU'RE NOT!"

"YES I AM!"

Nami huffed in frustration and flew her arms in the air, as if she didn't know what to do with him anymore.

"This is just like you! You're such a masochist! Why do you always have to take so little care of yourself!! It's like you don't care at all if you get fucking killed!!!"

His eyes narrowed, "I don't recall you ever complaining about my _masochism_ when it actually served to save your whiny little life!!"

Her glare intensified, "I never asked you to save me."

His eyes narrowed, "Well, I never asked _you_ to worry about me."

"URGH! YOU'RE SO ANNOYING!"

"Well SO ARE YOU!"

"BASTARD!"

"WITCH!"

"MORON!"

"WENCH!"

"ASSHOLE!"

"BITCH!"

Nami gasped, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she hissed, "How dare you?!"

"That'll teach you." he scoffed as he folded his arms over his chest.

"You know what!?" she screamed, "I hate you!!" she stepped towards him menacingly.

"Well the feeling is mutual!!" He growled as they got closer and closer.

"You're lying!!"

"So are you!!"

"Then kiss me!!"

"FINE!"

Zoro pulled Nami towards him violently and closed the distance between them as he smashed his lips against hers. She put her arms around his neck and responded to his furious kiss with equal raging passion. Her hands fisted on his hair while his strong arms hoisted her up and closer to him.

When they finally parted, gasping for breath and looking disheveled and ruffled, they stared at each other for two seconds…before storming off in different directions. Nami disappeared in the cartography room while Zoro slammed the door to the boy's room.

The crew stared in silence and disbelief.

Sanji's cigarette fell from his mouth as he gaped at the spot that the green haired mongrel and his swan had occupied only seconds ago. Luffy's eyes were so wide you'd think they would have popped right out of his head. The girls were all flushed and blushing furiously…except for Robin who was still surprised, but much more composed. Franky's glasses had been pushed up to his brow the moment they had stormed out, and now his eyes were perfectly visible and wide for the rest to see.

It was Luffy who broke the silence. Falling onto his back and laughing his head off, out of both amusement and happiness for his two nakama.

Robin put a hand to her mouth to hide the sly smile that tugged on her lips, "Oh my."

Vivi and Iryann giggled, with a slight pink color still on her cheeks, as they looked at each other knowingly.

Franky brought his sunglasses back to his eyes and shook his head with a wide smile on his face, going back to what he'd been doing before all that ruckus started.

Sanji was still staring, his mouth open; his eyes wide and still dumbfounded at the display he had just witnessed. "N-Nami-swan…"

"Cook-san," his attention was brought back to the black haired beauty sitting on deck, "It's getting quite hot outside, do you think I could have some of your very refreshing drinks?"

Sanji gaped at her momentarily, still slightly dazed, before he turned to his normal self and smiled down at the archeologist, "Right away, Robin-chwan!" and disappeared once more into the galley.

Robin smiled, it seemed like the cook had known about Zoro and Nami for quite a while, and yet it had been very amusing to see the look on his face at the bold scene that had taken place before him. She couldn't really blame him though, after all she'd been very surprised herself.

She chuckled and turned back to her book, thinking of the conversations she'd had with Zoro about her and the charming love-cook.

_Maybe it's time I made a move too…_

_------------------_

**Sorry for the short chapter, it's just that I've had this scene stuck in my head for a long time and I couldn't really start writing anything else until I got it out of my system.**

**I haven't been giving much attention to Sanji's and Robin's relationship (sorry! ) but I promise I'll add some SanRo moments to the next chapter! ^^**

**Thanks for reading! =)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda.**

**Chapter 16**

After the lovely and civilized _talk_ between the navigator and the first mate, the Straw Hats sat down for lunch. Chopper, Brook and Usopp came up from the gallery just in time for it, but were somewhat confused at the amused expressions on the girl's faces; not understanding the reason behind Franky's thumbs-up to Zoro, nor the downcast and slightly sad look the cook gave to Nami.

The longnose followed Sanji with his eyes as the poor man walked back and forth from the counter to the table with crestfallen shoulders and less grace than usual. He glanced at Luffy, who seemed oblivious to everything as he stuffed his mouth, but still found the time to direct an eye-creased smile to his first mate and navigator once in a while. Chopper was starting to get worried about Sanji's sagged shoulders, while Brook simply sipped from his tea like everything was completely normal. Another knowing exchange of smiles and giggles between Vivi, Iryann and Robin and Usopp finally blew up.

"Okay, can somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?!" he exclaimed, slamming his fists on the table as he stood up.

Everyone paused and stared at the sniper, even Luffy. Suddenly feeling the mortification of being the center of attention, Usopp felt himself waver slightly, especially at the sight of the blank stares of his nakama.

Surprisingly enough, it was Zoro who broke the silence.

"Anyone know what this idiot's talking about?" his eyes closed as he took a swig of rum.

Luffy cocked his head in bemusement.

"Ne, Usopp," he said with his child-like voice, "You okay?"

"Yeah, longnose, what's wrong with you, man?" Franky lifted his sunglasses to his brow, raising a questioning eyebrow at the sniper.

"Are you feeling sick, Usopp?" Chopper asked worriedly.

"Nah, don't worry Chopper," Sanji exhaled a trail of smoke, seemingly back to his old self, "Idiot's probably putting on a show or something."

"My, my, Sniper-san," Robin smiled at him sweetly, although even Usopp knew that _that_ was her most twisted and evil smile, "Could it be that you have something to tell us?"

"It better not be a lie or I swear I'll make you pay for it," Nami muttered before taking a sip of her tangerine tea; an eyebrow twitching dangerously.

Usopp's knees shuddered slightly, and he looked exasperatedly at his friends as they all acted like nothing had happened. _He_ knew they were acting, _they_ knew _he_ knew they were acting and yet…

"Ugh! Fine! You guys can do whatever you want!" he snapped, giving up on his insistence as he flopped back on his chair, "…'s not like a care anyways…" his mouth formed a small pout as he looked away, offended.

Just then, Zoro cracked an eye open, a small smirk spreading across his face. Nami looked at him and winked, sticking out her tongue wickedly as he returned her glance. Sanji turned around to hide the grin on his lips. Robin concealed her sly smile by gracefully putting a hand on her mouth. Vivi and Iryann's shoulders were slightly shaking as they tried to contain their laughter. Luffy's eyes were being shaded by his hat as his head tilted lower and lower. Franky snorted.

And that was all it took.

Suddenly the galley was filled with the roaring laughter of the whole crew. Luffy shot his head back as he laughed wholeheartedly, banging at the table uncontrollably. The girls' melodic giggles and laughs filled the room with music. Franky was basically choking on his coke, while Chopper and Brook looked around in slight confusion, not getting what the hilarity of the situation was. Sanji was doubling over, almost falling to the ground in a fit of laughter. Even Zoro was laughing, leaning back on his chair and holding his stomach at the ache of laughing so hard.

Usopp's face was red; both with embarrassment and annoyance at their friends' mockery as he crossed his arms over his chest indignantly and huffed in irritation.

"Ha ha ha…" he laughed without humor, "Very funny…"

"Aw, come on Usopp!" Sanji managed to say, his laughter toning down to mere chuckles.

"Yeah, bro!" Franky wiped a few tears from his eyes, "You should've seen your face!"

"Priceless!" Vivi and Iryann sang in unison, another fit of giggles rendering them speechless once more.

"I don't get it!" Chopper whined, looking around at his still smiling or chuckling friends, "What's so funny?"

"Don't worry, Chopper," Zoro smiled at him as he patted him on the head, "It's nothing."

The swordsman's smile seemed to calm the reindeer down, and he went back to his sweet lemonade with a happy "Okay!"

Nami and Robin smiled warmly at the small doctor.

Luffy had just managed to stop laughing when he wrapped an arm around Usopp's shoulders, his trademark face-splitting grin plastered on his face. "Shishishishishishi! Na na Usopp! Your food is getting cold! Don't worry so much!"

"That's true, shitty longnose," Sanji agreed, now turning to everyone on the table, "I want the plates clean!"

"Ossu!" the crew chorused before submerging back into their plates and resuming interrupted conversations.

Usopp sighed, feeling a smile slowly tugging at his lips as he took on the light mood of the crew. At least they were all smiling and laughing now. He only hoped it would last.

* * *

When lunch was ended, Luffy and Chopper stormed out of the galley to play outside, the straw hat captain dragging a certain (still-sulking) longnose with him. Zoro stood from his chair and left as well, mumbling something about needing a nap, Franky and Brook followed soon after. Nami, Vivi and Iryann were entangled in a very interesting conversation as they exited more gracefully than the rest; which left only Robin and Sanji remaining inside the galley…_alone_.

"Do you need help with the dishes, cook-san?" she smiled sweetly.

Sanji looked back at her and smiled, "No, thank you Robin-chan," he turned to the sink and started scrubbing the dirty dishes – which were really not that dirty since Luffy always ate the leftovers on everyone's plates, basically licking them clean.

"Mind if I make you some company, then?" she asked, crossing one leg over the other, and leaning her head on one hand.

Sanji gulped slightly, and stuttered, "N-not at all!"

His stammering brought a sly smile to the archeologist's lips, as she watched the cook's hands move quickly from plate to plate, admiring the gracefulness and strength of his pale hands. Suddenly remembering the cook's expression at seeing Zoro and Nami kiss, Robin giggled softly, which seemed to attract Sanji's attention.

"Is something the matter, Robin-chan?" he asked, his head turning slightly to look briefly at her face before going back to the dishes at hand.

"Oh, nothing cook-san," she smiled, "I was just thinking how it was about time Navigator-san and Swordsman-san got together," she started drawing patterns on the table with her finger, "They've been hiding for so long, after all."

Sanji sighed, then shook his head with a small chuckle, "They have, haven't they…" he started drying the plates.

Robin closed her eyes, "I envy them." Her voice came out loud and clear.

Her tone made the cook turn around fully to face her, "W-why's that, Robin-chan?"

She opened her mesmerizing blue eyes and Sanji forgot how to breathe, awaiting her response. Robin smiled, "I just wish I could find the courage to confess my feelings to the man I love, cook-san, that is all."

Something inside the cook's heart seemed to break, and Sanji smiled sadly at the archeologist, "I wish I could, too, Robin-chan," he sighed and turned around, "…I wish I could…"

_So she's in love with someone already…huh…_

The galley stayed in silence for a minute, only interrupted by the sound of scrubbing and drying coming from the sink.

Suddenly, Sanji felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to face Robin looking at him straight in the eye. Her stare made his heartbeat increase once again. It hurt to have her so close, and yet knowing he would never really have her. She was not smiling, and that made Sanji's heart contract even more.

"Cook-san," she asked; her tone serious, "Are you in love with someone?"

Sanji's visible eye widened; only to shine with sadness Robin had not been expecting. _If she doesn't know yet…_ he sighed.

"Yes, yes I am."

"Then why don't you tell her?"

Sanji paused.

"…I'm scared." Robin's eyes shined with curiosity and surprise.

"Scared?"

He closed his eyes and swallowed, "…Of rejection." He laughed bitterly, "Which you'll think is stupid, of course, seeing how I flirt with every beautiful woman I see, and am constantly rejected all the time but…she's…" his eyes opened and stared warmly at hers, "She's different."

"Do I know this woman?" she asked, smiling.

He chuckled, "I sure hope so."

She started closing the space between them, her eyes never leaving his, "Is she beautiful?"

"Like the starry night," he answered.

She ran a hand up his arm, moving to his shoulder, and coming to caress his neck. She leaned in and whispered to his ear, "Is she in this room?"

He paused, and looked at her with one half-hooded eye, turning his face to nuzzle her soft cheek. "Yes."

Her delicate hands held to thin strands of golden hair and she finally brought their lips together; his strong hands caressing her back as he pulled her closer to him. She bit his lower lip, urging him to deepen the kiss, a demand to which he happily complied.

Everything was pretty much perfect….until the galley door burst open.

"Sanji! Sna—MPH!" Luffy's yell was muffled by a pair of hands that shut his loud mouth shut, before six more arms flowered around him and tossed him out of the room; closing the door behind him.

Their lips parted for a moment, just enough for Sanji to pant, "Nice," before she forced their mouths together again.

* * *

On deck, the guys watched with amusement as Luffy was thrown out _not_ by the cook but by none other than the archeologist herself. Zoro almost laughed at the pouting expression in Luffy's face.

"That was rude!" he whined as soon as the hands disappeared in a shower of petals.

"What's happened Luffy?" Usopp asked with a smile, finding the boy's pout just as amusing as everyone else.

"Sanji and Robin are kissing in the kitchen so they won't give me a snack~!" he yelled in childish outrage.

Zoro smirked and folded his arms behind his back as he leaned against the mast, "Well it was about time."

"Ha! I betcha it wasn't even the cook who started it," Franky commented with a wolfish grin, "It was probably Nico Robin's doing."

Zoro laughed, "Probably."

"Why? What's Robin doing?" Nami asked curiously as she and the girls walked out of their room.

The swordsman smirked and closed his eyes, "She's making out with the cook in the kitchen."

Nami squealed loudly, "Yes!! I knew it!" she laughed as she flopped down on Zoro's lap, making him grunt in surprise and open his eyes to see her smirking up at him. He chuckled, and leaned back against the mast, closing his eyes again as the navigator leaned contently into his chest.

Iryann laughed as she sat down on one of the chairs, thanking Chopper as he helped her down.

"Luffy, what's wrong?" Vivi asked with a smile as she kneeled next to the still-pouting boy.

Usopp snickered, "They kicked him out of the galley."

Luffy stuck his tongue childishly and Vivi laughed, hugging the boy while giving him a peck on the cheek. His eyes widened and a huge smile threatened to split his face in two, already forgetting why he'd been upset jus a second ago as he hugged the girl back.

"Aaaw~, isn't that sweet~?" Nami teased from Zoro's lap, her wicked grin plastered on her face as the princess blushed furiously and Luffy laughed.

The navigator suddenly felt Zoro's arms wrap around her as the swordsman leaned his chin lazily on her shoulder. His eyes cracked open for a second before he scowled in annoyance as he seemed to realize something, "Shit."

"What?" she turned to him.

"Now I can't get a drink." Nami could've laughed at the almost-pouty expression in Zoro's face, and kissed him sweetly on the cheek, making him look at her with a raised eye-brow.

"I'll get you one later." She winked at him.

"Thief." he chuckled as she stuck her tongue out.

"Oi, get a room!" Usopp called.

The crew laughed as the two scariest members of the ship directed a deadly glare towards the sniper, who had cowered behind Franky and was trying to keep his knees and nose from shaking.

* * *

"They're almost there, Kaien-sama," Itami vowed in respect as he informed his master, "They'll arrive at Komakai Island by nightfall."

Kaien's eyes never left the pond, images of the past day flashing by quickly, a small frown forming on his brow at the sight of the crew's happiness. Suddenly, the images stopped, and a sadistic smile spread across the white man's mouth.

Itami glanced at him bemusedly, and then set his eyes on the pond, not understanding his master's sudden _'joy'_. "Is something the matter, my lord?"

"I just had a really good idea, my boy," he said with a smug voice, turning to face the confused redhead, "How do you feel about bringing in two guests, instead of one?"

Understanding shined in the man's emerald eyes, and a small smile tugged on his lips. Again he vowed respectfully to his master and answered, "As you wish, my lord."

Kaien looked back at the image on the still waters as Itami retreated from the cavern, a dark chuckle reverberating through the walls.

-------------------------------------

**Well, now that Sanji's and Robin's love has been taken care of, I can finally focus on Komakai Island. ^^**

**I'm afraid Zoro and Nami were a bit OOC at the end, weren't they? T-T **

**  
I hope you liked these past two (filler) chapters, I promise to have more action and angst for you in the next one.**

**Thanks for reading~! ^^**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda. **

**Chapter 17**

_...You have something that belongs to me..._

Zoro jerked awake with a gasp. He looked around in alarm, realizing that he was in the crow's nest, and that there was nobody there. Still not entirely convinced, he looked out the window and glanced down at the grassy deck, sighing in relief as he saw Luffy running around with Chopper, and the girls chatting while the shit-cook danced around them with a tray of drinks. A soft music reached his ears, and he looked further down to see Brook sitting against the mast with his violin. Usopp and Franky must've been in their workshop, because he could hear some hammering noises from time to time.

Finally satisfied, Zoro walked back to the bench and dragged a hand through his short green hair, a small frown still marring his features.

"What the hell was that about…" he asked to no one in particular. He'd had a nightmare; that much was clear…however, what was unsettling to the swordsman was that he could not remember anything at all. All he could say was that he'd woken up scared to death – which was a lot to say, considering Roronoa Zoro could _not_ be scared easily –, and positive that they were all in great danger.

Still pondering whether he should be worried or not, he looked out the window, it was already dark out. A small spot of light called his attention, and he squinted into the darkness, eyes suddenly widening as he realized they were really close to an island. He got a hold of the megaphone Franky had made for the crow's nest, and announced the sighting.

"Oi, there's an island right in front of us."

Everyone looked up from what they were doing, and moved to the ship's prow, where Luffy was already waiting excitedly on the lion's head. Slightly confused at seeing nothing, they all squinted much like the swordsman had done earlier, and then reacted in the same as their eyes all widened upon seeing the dark island in front of them.

"Shit," Nami cursed, "We need to stop the ship!" she turned to the crew, "Get a move on!"

Everyone ran to their posts, closing the sails and lowering the anchor while Franky maneuvered the ship so that they wouldn't collide with the fast approaching quay. Seeing that he could not stop it in time, he made use of the Sunny's "breaks", and a pair of propellers immediately came out of the hull and started propelling in the opposite direction, effectively stopping the ship.

"AW! SUPER Brakin' Maneuver is a success Nami-sis!" the cyborg sang as he put on a triumphant pose, slamming his immense star-tattooed forearms together.

"Good job Franky! Now get over here!" Nami yelled from the prow, where the rest of the Straw Hats were already starting to gather again to discuss what the next move would be.

"So, Nami-san," Sanji asked as he and Robin approached her, "What's the plan?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted, a small frown marring her forehead, her eyes never leaving the dark island, "One would think there are no inhabitants in this isla--"

"There are." Zoro interrupted as he walked over to them, his face serious, with the usual frown in his features, "I saw a light, that's why I was able to notice it." He explained as he glared at the unknown piece of land, "There's somebody living here, and judging by the docks we almost crashed against, I'd say it's more than one person."

"If Swordsman-san is right, then we should proceed with caution," Robin observed, her eyes also scanning the island, "We shouldn't get separated until we know what awaits in Komakai."

"Robin's right," Nami agreed with a hand on her chin, "We should stay together," her eyes fell on Iryann who was slightly tense, and was trying hard not to show her fear and worry of not finding Datte, "Once we're there and have analyzed the situation we can start looking for Datte."

The girl nodded firmly, as did everyone else, showing they understood the situation. Even Luffy was behaving more seriously than usual; he was known for venturing into the unknown without hesitating, but he knew better than to put the crew at risk. He did not want to see Iryann cry again, and thus finding Datte was his priority at the moment.

"Alright," Nami started, "At least three of us should stay in the ship, just in case, we'll come get you once we know it's safe," she looked at Usopp, whose knees were shaking and was trying hard not to faint from fear, and Chopper, who was latched to Zoro's leg, looking around with fright clear in his big dark eyes, she sighed, "Usopp. You, Franky and Brook stay here." She looked over at the reindeer, "We need Chopper to come, just in case we find Datte," the doctor nodded bravely, the prospect of any future injuries strengthening his scared little heart. "The rest come with me."

"Super! Leave the ship to us!" Franky assured with a grin and another of his poses.

"Yohohohohoho! How exciting!"

"P-p-p-p-p-p-pity. I-I-I-I-I-I'd really like to ac-c-c-ccompany you, guys, but I'm afraid m-my _If-I-step-on-this-island-I-will-die_ illness is striking again." Usopp told them from behind the cyborg.

"Of course, Usopp," Nami rolled her eyes, while the other girls smiled and giggled at the sniper's antics, feeling the mood lighten.

"Stay on the look-out for ghosts, Usopp," Zoro walked past him with a bored expression, Chopper sitting happily on his shoulders.

"Oh, I hear there are plenty of them this time of the year," Sanji commented happily as he walked after the swordsman.

"You guys are assholes, you know that?" Usopp huffed indignantly, yet still looking around in case he saw any scary spirits around.

"Shishishishishishi! See ya, guys!" Luffy waved happily behind his first mate and cook and jumped off the ship to land lightly on the docks.

* * *

"What the hell happened here?" Sanji muttered as they walked through the streets of the seemingly abandoned town, carrying lamps to lighten the way.

"It's like they just left…leaving everything they were doing," Vivi whispered, afraid of disturbing the silence that reigned the streets, her dark grey eyes looking over the abandoned shops and food stands, the fruit was not rotten, it was still fresh, yet there was absolutely nobody tending it, which made everything look even more surreal and eerie.

"They're still here." Zoro announced, his voice breaking the silence in the darkness. As they turned to him, they could see his black eyes roaming the windows and doorways surrounding them, "They're watching us."

A shiver ran down everyone's spine as they also looked at the dark empty windows, suddenly feeling dozens of eyes following their every move. It was Robin who finally saw someone, as her sharp eyes noticed a small figure peaking from a half-open doorway, only to be pulled in by somebody else.

"They're hiding," she realized, making everyone glance at her in surprise, "They're afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Sanji wondered out loud, "Of us?"

"Well it wouldn't be surprising, seeing how we are pirates and all," Nami commented quietly, still looking around with worried eyes.

"But then how could they have known we were pirates if they didn't have any lights on or anything?" Iryann asked, "In the dark, we must've looked like any other ship, and plus, the lights were already long gone before we got anywhere near the island." She reminded them.

"Koori-san is right," Robin agreed, "Something else must have scared this people."

"But then what cou--"

"OOOOOIIII~!" They all cringed as their captain rudely broke the silence with a loud yell, "Is anybody hereee~!?" he cupped his hands around his mouth, walking around the street in a soldier-like fashion, "We're not gonna hurt you! Come out~! We're just looking for a friend! OOOIII~!"

Suddenly, a pair of small heads peaked through a window, and glanced curiously at the pirates. Then, out of nowhere, a small child, not older than two years old, walked clumsily from a doorway towards none other than Zoro, who looked at the kid with a surprised expression that mirrored the rest of the group's. The little girl raised her small hands towards him expectantly, and the young man unconsciously bent down and took the baby in his arms, making the child giggle as her chubby hands curled on the swordsman's shirt. Zoro then realized that Chopper was still on his shoulders and smiled, taking the small reindeer on his other arm and putting him in front of the baby, who immediately broke in a fit of laughter and giggles and hugged the doctor like he was some sort of stuffed animal.

The rest of the group smiled and visibly relaxed as the night was filled with the baby's laugher, only to turn in alarm towards the three doors from which children had started running from, latching to the swordsman's or the cook's pant legs and asking the girls to take them in their arms; Luffy laughed as he was tackled by a group of four-year-olds.

Only then did the adults start coming out of the buildings. However, as soon as their faces came into the light of their lamps, they realized that it was only women that were following their children out. One of them, an old lady that walked with the help of a young twelve-year-old girl, stepped up to them and smiled apologetically.

"Good evening, my name is Chuuko. Please forgive our rude behavior, we were not sure of who was coming and we did not want our children to be in more danger." She looked at the young children surrounding them and smiled, "Children can sense the goodness in others…and if they believe you are good people then we will trust you, foreigners." She then started walking back into one of the houses, "This is not a safe place to talk, however, so please come inside."

The crew followed obediently, glancing at each other at the mention of a possible danger before walking towards the house with a crowd of happy children behind them.

"We shouldn't tell her that we're pirates…" Nami whispered, "They're better off not knowing…"

They all nodded in agreement as they entered the dark home.

* * *

"It seems Mai-chan has taken a liking of you, young man," Chuuko smiled as she saw the little girl that had come to greet them first, now fast asleep in Zoro's arms. The swordsman had immediately fallen for the child's smile and did not have the heart to wake her up to hand her to one of the other women.

"Who would've thought the marimo had it in him?" Sanji teased as he carried a small tray with tea.

"Oh, on the contrary, I think Swordsman-san would make a wonderful father," Robin giggled, reminding the green haired man of the time in Water 7 when she'd seen him babysitting a pair of babies. The memory made Zoro blush slightly as he glared at the archeologist, who responded with one of her sweet/evil smiles.

"You're so cute, Zoro-kun~!" Nami sang next to him, actually meaning what she said as she found the image of the swordsman holding the baby to be quite endearing.

"Oh, shut it." Zoro grumbled as the girls, including Vivi and Iryann giggled at his embarrassment.

Once the other children had said their good nights to the pirates (and squeezed the life out of poor Chopper one last time) the Straw Hats followed Chuuko to the other side of the house while some brief introductions were made. They only told her their names though, so as to not alarm the poor old lady.

"Ne, Oba-chan," Luffy started once they entered a small living room, "Why were you hiding?"

The old woman sighed as she sat on her rocking chair, taking a cup of tea from the small coffee table in front of her. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she looked at them again they could only see sadness in them; gone was the warm, comforting smile she had shown in front of the children.

"This is a small island, Luffy-kun, there are not many inhabitants, but there is a small marine fort, at the top of the cliff," her eyes were glued to her tea, slightly glazed as the memories came back, "All the men of our village, young and old, were members of the marine or offered their services to the fort as cooks and doctors." She smiled bitterly, "You could probably say that most of the other jobs: infirmaries, grocery stores… any kind of shop really... were taken by the town's women." The smile left her face, and her grey eyes were filled with fear and sorrow, "A couple days ago, at noon or so, while some of the men usually come back to their wives children for lunch……nobody came." She paused, her lips quivering slightly, but raising a hand when Vivi opened her mouth to tell her not to force herself, assuring them that she wanted to continue. She went on, "We thought it was really strange, seeing how they usually come all at once, and the streets get all loud with the children's cheers and their fathers' laughter…" her hands were trembling then, "We were thinking of sending someone up there to see what was going on…but then one of them came back……Takeshi …a very young man …he was a single father, his wife died two years ago, poor thing…he was bleeding…" a strangled sob escaped her wrinkled lips, "He could barely walk and…h-he told us…that the others were all dead!"

Zoro and Sanji looked down while Nami brought a hand to her mouth in horror. Iryann was biting her lip, knowing that whatever had happened to those men had probably been Kaien's doing; Robin took a sip of her tea in silence. Vivi had sat next to the old woman and was trying to comfort the poor lady. Luffy's hat was shading his eyes when he asked,

"Who did it?" his voice was serious, and Chuuko looked at him with tearful wide eyes, "Did he tell you?"

She suddenly looked thoughtful, as if trying to remember what the man had said, then nodded slightly, "He said…it was a man...with red hair…I can't remember what his name was…"

"Itami." Zoro's deep voice brought all eyes towards him, "He's the one that gave me the Eternal Pose, Kaien's right-hand man." Iryann had closed her hands in a fist at the mention of the man's name.

"Y-yes, I believe that's what he said the name was…" she agreed meekly, "He also said he'd been sent by…" she shuddered, "The Dark Lord…"

"Chuuko-san," Robin's soothing voice was heard for the first time, "Who is this Dark Lord? Does he live on this island?"

"No!" she answered with fear, "No, he lives on a neighboring island, he's a fiend that fills our sleep with nightmares and has taken away our strongest warriors, only to bring them back barely breathing and with all the courage gone from their eyes. He's a monster!"

"What happened to that man?" Iryann suddenly asked, her voice soft, "Takeshi…"

They all looked at the old woman as her grey eyes fell on the baby still sleeping in Zoro's arms, and gave them the answer they had all expected, "He died, a day after the massacre…" her eyes shined with sorrow, "It seems he had too many internal injuries…" she smiled sadly, "He was Mai-chan's father," their eyes widened, "He was all the family she had left…and now she's an orphan, poor girl…I take care of her now; the other women already have their own children to take care of, and I used to baby-sit her when her father went to work, so it's not really much of a change for her…" she smiled sweetly at Zoro, who was looking down at the sleeping girl in thought, "He looked at lot like you," the swordsman looked up from the baby in askance, "Her father. In his early twenties, strong…a very handsome young man…" all eyes fell on little Mai once more, "It's no surprise she ran up to you when she saw you outside…"

The crew watched as the baby curled up to Zoro in her sleep, one of her small hands gripping at his shirt with a tiny fist. She slept without a care in the world, and yet it seemed, by the way she clang to the swordsman, that she was afraid he'd let her go. Iryann looked at the girl with guilt and shame apparent in her expression and, seeing the guilty look on the girl's eyes, Nami took it upon herself to change subject.

"We should go back to the Sunny," she whispered, "We can come back again tomorrow and look for clues…it's too dark now…"

They all nodded in agreement, but nobody had the heart to stand up, being too entranced in their own thoughts.

Luffy's eyes were finally visible as he looked at the sleeping girl, and then directed his fierce black eyes to the poor woman.

"Oba-chan," he declared in his most serious voice, "I promise you we'll find that guy, and we're gonna kick his ass."

Chuuko's grey eyes could not have been wider as he stared at the boy with incredulity.

"Y-you can't!" she stuttered, trying to bring some sense into him, "He'll kill you! You can't go against the Dark Lord by yourself!"

Suddenly, Luffy smiled his trademark face-splitting grin as he chuckled, "But I'm not going alone! My nakama are coming with me. They're all really strong too!"

The old woman glanced at the rest of the group with surprise, not believing the words that were coming from the boy's mouth. She was taken aback by the determination she found in the others' eyes too, some of the girls smiling at her reassuringly while the other two men nodded with confidence; even the little reindeer looked ready to do anything.

"Well, Oba-chan," Luffy stood up straight and put a hand on his straw hat, "We'll see you tomorrow morning, we have to inform the rest of the crew."

As if on cue, the others started getting up from couches and chairs and said their goodbyes to the still speechless woman. Zoro stood carefully from his seat, and walked slowly towards the bewildered lady.

"Here," he said as he moved to give her the baby, stepping back when Chuuko took her in her arms with care, "I'll try to come back tomorrow and stay with her for a while." He gave a small grin to the old lady, who looked up at him in puzzlement, "You look like you could take a good sleep, Bassan." The smile that spread on the woman's face made his grin widen and he waved a hand as he left after his friends, closing the door behind him.

Chuuko sighed and sat back on her rocking chair and watched the baby with a warm smile.

"What a strange group, don't you think Mai-chan?" she giggled, "It's rare to find strong people with such good hearts…" she looked out the window, "Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro…who would've thought that the famous Straw Hat pirates would come to our aid…"

* * *

On the following morning, the crew gathered inside the galley for instructions; Franky, Usopp and Brook having been told everything about the village the night before.

Upon entering the room, the crew was surprised to see a very serious captain standing at the head of the table, with his arms folded against his chest, his black eyes following them as they all took their respective seats in silence.

"Alright," he started, his tone warning them of the seriousness of the situation, "We're gonna divide into groups. Zoro, Sanji and I will go to the Marine fort, to see if we can find any leads," the assigned men nodded, and Luffy looked at Robin, "Chuuko-san said that no one ever went to check out the base after Takeshi informed them, so the corpses will most probably still be there, that's why… Robin, you're coming with us too."

"Hai, Captain-san." She said, nodding in understanding. The other members of the crew were still a bit surprised at Luffy's sudden strategic mode.

"Chopper," the little reindeer looked up in expectation, "You will stay in town and help Chuuko-san with any medical needs they might have, some of the children were very young and they might need your attention," he then looked at the rest of the girls, "Nami, Vivi and Iryann, you guys will help Chopper and take care of the younger kids." The girls nodded with conviction, and the captain's eyes fell on the remaining members. "Franky. You, Usopp and Brook will stay with them and keep watch; you will be in charge of protecting the village in case anything happens before we come back from the fort."

"Super, leave it to me, Straw hat."

The sniper was surprisingly serious and not considering the dangers ahead; when he'd heard about so many fatherless children he appeared to have made it his mission to protect them.

Luffy eyed his crew, and smirked with confidence and pride at his nakama's determination to help.

"Okay then, are you ready?"

"Aye, Captain!" they chorused.

"Then let's get moving."

* * *

"We're almost there, Captain-san." Robin announced as they reached the top of the cliff, "The fort should come into view soon."

And it did. A few moments after, the small group was able to distinguish the small marine base as soon as they left the trees behind them...and they were taken aback by what they saw.

"What the…" Sanji gasped as they gazed on the dozens of slaughtered bodies piling up around the building. The rotten stench that reached their noses made them grimace at the smell, for the corpses had been there for more than three days already.

Robin was the first to start walking around them, her eyes analyzing the men's injuries and pain stricken faces. The other three followed soon, watching in horror the massacre that had taken place in the small marine fort.

"What kind of a maniac could have done this?" Sanji asked what was going through all of their minds as they took on the fear and panic that was still obvious in the soldiers' open mouths and wide eyes. The blood that covered the courtyard was enough to tint all the dirt and grass with a dirty scarlet color, not leaving one inch of soil left to conceal. It covered part of the walls and painted a river of red under the windows. It splattered all over the fallen men, staining glass, wood and stone with its shameful burgundy shade.

Zoro's face remained impassive at the sight, but his shaking fists were enough to tell the others that he was just as horrified as they were. The swordsman looked down on a near corpse and then glanced at his petrified captain.

"What now, Captain?"

"We burn them." He replied quietly, his eyes never leaving the dead bodies, "We can't leave them here to rot."

"Aye." They answered softly.

Moments later they stood aside, silently watching as the flames devoured the broken bodies.

* * *

"It's time." Kaien's voice reverberated inside the cave, and Itami grimaced slightly before vowing down in respect.

"Yes, my lord." A second later, he was gone in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

"Franky!" Nami called from one of the doors as she and Iryann walked out, "We need to go to the other side of the village, they have some water deposit there, we're gonna need your help to bring enough back."

The cyborg jumped down from the roof and landed next to them.

"Sure thing." He nodded firmly, as he started walking behind them, "Iryann-sis, do you need a lift?"

The blonde smiled up at him gratefully, "No thanks, Franky, my leg's much better now."

"Super," he smiled, "You heal pretty fast, nee-chan."

"It's because of my essence, no big deal really." She said as she waved her finger in a circular motion, making a small icy current move around her friends, who shivered slightly at the cold.

"Oi, Iry-chan!" the cyborg complained, "No freezing me up, please! It's cold enough as it is."

"Then start wearing pants, for Kami's sake." Nami huffed as she rolled her eyes at Franky, "I really don't know how you can walk around with that."

"I don't know what you're talking about, girlie," he replied, smirking as Nami glared at her much hated nickname, "My outfit is Supeeer cool. AW!" he put up another of his poses, gaining a laugh from Iryann and another annoyed huff from the navigator.

With the mood now much lighter and pleasant, they walked in a comfortable silence, strolling through the now deserted part of the village, where the water cistern was located. As they reached the small tank, they saw a pile of containers to carry the water, and set out to work.

"My, my, how have you grown, Iry-chan." A dark chuckle echoed along the empty streets, making them jump in alarm, their eyes searching in all directions, trying to situate their stalker. A chill ran down Iryann's spine as she recognized the man's voice, and her eyes hardened with hatred.

"Itami." She snarled.

Franky and Nami tensed at hearing the name, knowing him to be the man who had slaughtered the marine base, and they immediately took on a fighting stance; Nami's Clima-Tact snapped in the navigator's hand as she held it, all set to be used. Franky's wrist opened as he readied his weapon, already prepared to fire at whoever dared to get too close. Iryann's ice-blue eyes were shinning and roaming through the buildings, her hands already starting to get covered in white frost.

"Such hostility towards an old friend…" Itami appeared in front of them with as speed that was almost frightening; with narrowed eyes they watched as the redhead clicked his tongue in fake disappointment, "You offend me, Iryann."

"Yeah, right." Iryann scoffed, "As if you could feel anything, you psychopath."

Nami could've sworn she saw a flash of sorrow cross the man's emerald eyes, but it was so quickly replaced with his cold, condescending stare that she thought it had just been her imagination.

"Don't you dare move, asshole," Franky threatened, pointing his arm at the smirking man, "Or you'll be dead long before you can say cola."

Itami laughed, making a chill run down their spines as the man stared at them with cold amusement, "I'd like to see you try, cyborg." He glanced at his nails arrogantly, "But I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Fat chance," Nami hissed, her Clima-Tact already flashing with lightning, "You're not going anywhere until you tell us what we want."

Itami smirked as his eyes focused on the navigator, making her conviction waver slightly. "And what, if it isn't too much to ask, might that be?"

"Where's Datte?!" Iryann yelled, her eyes turning icier as the temperature declined dangerously.

The redhead's gaze fell on the frost that was covering the blonde's hands and boots, "Oh, you don't need to worry about that, princess…" his green eyes turned a devilish blood-red color that made them all shudder, "…You'll be with him soon."

A blazing pain shot through their heads, and everything went black.

--------------------------------------------

**I hope you liked this chapter! I tried to make it longer, because I'm afraid I won't be able to write for a couple weeks...(sorry!)**

**And.....ehehe...sorry for the cliffhanger ^^**

**Please R&R! =)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichiro Oda**

**Chapter 18**

"Luffy!" The four pirates looked up to see Vivi waving at them from the village's gates, and they smiled for what felt like the first time in hours, their pace increasing just slightly, all of them glad to be back at the town.

"Yo, Vivi!" Luffy waved his arms excitedly, "We're back~!" He ran the rest of the way towards her and hugged her tightly, kissing her on the cheek before smiling his trademark grin as she blushed furiously.

"Vivi-chan," Sanji smiled as they reached the blue haired princess, "How are the villagers? I hope it wasn't too much work for your beautiful hands."

"They're fine now," her compassionate grey eyes glanced back at the houses behind her, "Some of the children were really undernourished, the poor things, it was really sad to see them like that."

Sanji's smiled faded as his eyes focused on the village. Starvation was his most hated enemy, and the thought of all those little children going through what he'd been through all those years ago made him frown, his hands clenching in a fist; his anger at the destiny that had been chosen for the innocent women and children flaring in his eyes once more.

Robin watched him silently, and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, making him relax slightly as her delicate touch made him step back from his wrath. He smiled fondly at her, and she nodded with a small smile of her own.

"We should meet with the rest," she said, making the horrible images return to their minds, "We have a lot to discuss."

"Hai." The others responded quietly.

Sanji looked at the village once more, and sighed, already thinking of all the food he could prepare for the starving children. A pat on his shoulder made him come back to his senses as he saw Zoro walk past him, the look in his eyes mirroring his own sorrow as he nodded towards the town.

"Let's go, cook."

"Hn." Sanji sighed one last time before following after the swordsman, the small houses passing slowly by them as they walked through the streets; and, even though he'd just seen the rotting corpses of their fathers, he forced a smile as the children waved at him obliviously from the windows.

* * *

"Usopp-san, it seems like our duty has been fulfilled for today," The sniper glanced at the skeleton with puzzlement before hearing the children cheer on the streets. He leaned from the edge of the rooftop and saw his friends walking towards the house.

"Oh, you're back!" Usopp jumped down from the roof of Chuuko's house, Kabuto still in his hands, "How was it?"

"That's what we're here to discuss," Zoro looked around, "Where's Franky? Wasn't he on watch with you two?"

Usopp seemed surprised for a moment before remembrance flashed through his eyes.

"Oh yeah," he started, "He went with Nami and Iryann to get water from the other side of the village…" he put a hand to his chin, "Actually…that was pretty long ago…they should be back by now."

"What?" the swordsman tensed, "You mean none of them are back yet?"

The sniper suddenly looked worried, and nodded with a frown. Zoro, already thinking the worst, turned to his captain, who was talking quietly with Vivi.

"Luffy!" the young raven haired man turned to him in askance, "Nami, Iryann and Franky are not here." The captain's expression immediately turned serious.

"What do you mean?" he closed the distance between them, now standing just a few paces from his first mate, "Where are they?"

"Usopp says they went to get water and never came back," he informed, already itching to search for his missing nakama, "The tank's at the other side of the village, the abandoned side, they could've been ambushed without anybody knowing."

"Damn it!" Luffy cursed under his breath, "Sanji! Franky and the girls are missing, I might need you over there, come with us."

"What?!" the cook screamed in alarm as Robin's eyes widened, "Nami-san and Iryann-chan are not here?!"

"And neither is Franky!" Luffy nodded, "We need to get there fast! Usopp! Brook! You stay here and keep watch! Robin! Vivi! You make sure the children and the women are kept safe!"

"Hai!" the three men then turned to run towards the other side of the mostly abandoned town, praying to whoever heard them that they wouldn't be too late.

It seems as though the gods were not on their side, however.

As they closed in on the water tank, their eyes were already searching for their nakama, their hope diminishing exponentially by the second.

It was Luffy the first one to see his fallen friend.

"Franky!" Sanji and Zoro both followed their captain's line of sight as their eyes fell on the unconscious cyborg, lying face down on the dirt. Dread forming a knot in their stomachs, they fastened their pace and kneeled beside the shipwright.

Cook and swordsman turned the heavy man around, and Sanji immediately put his ear to the man's mouth, feeling relief numb his senses as he realized Franky was still breathing. "He's breathing."

Luffy then took it upon himself to wake him; his relief making him forget to be gentle as he shook his shipwright with no care whatsoever. "Franky! Wake up! What happened here!?"

"Ugh, g-get off me, Strawhat," they all moved back to give him some space as the cyborg sat up, one of his hands finding way to his head as he winced at the remaining pain, "I feel like shit."

"What the hell happened?" Zoro asked, a new knot forming at the pit of his stomach, "Where's Nami and Iryann?"

"He took them." They all looked at him with wide eyes, already knowing who he was talking about, "The red-headed bastard."

Zoro felt his heart clench as anger and guilt were added to his concern, "Shit!" He stood up with haste, dragging his hands through his short hair as though trying to calm himself down. "Why does that woman always get in trouble?"

"I'm so sorry, bro," Franky looked down, obviously ashamed and blaming himself for what had happened, "I was ready to fire and yet he still took me by surprise, I could've--"

"Don't blame yourself," Zoro was still not looking at him, his jet black eyes glaring at the water tank, "There's nothing you could've done…That guy's too strong."

"He's right, Franky," Luffy put a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll get them back."

"You're damn right we will," Sanji was looking up at the sky, two cigarettes hanging from his lips, "If that shitty bastard thinks he can take Nami-san and Iryann-chan and get away with it, he's in for a beating."

"Actually, he was acting a bit weird…" Franky mused out loud, a hand on his chin.

"What do you mean _weird_?" All three men looked at the cyborg with a confused expression. The shipwright frowned as the memory came back, and proceeded to tell them about it.

_~~/~~ _

"_Ugh! W-what do you think…y-you're doing?…g-get away…from them," Franky rasped as he struggled to stand, trying to keep the redhead from taking his nakama, "G-get away from them you bastard!"_

_Itami turned to him, an odd expression in his emerald green eyes and what seemed to be a sad smile on his lips. The way he looked at him as he lifted the unconscious girls from the ground made the cyborg stare at him in bemusement._

"_I see it takes more than that to knock you out, cyborg," His voice carried a strange sentiment that Franky found utterly confusing as he leveled the man with a studying look, while still trying to catch his breath in heavy pants. _

"_Y-you bet it does, asshole," he answered, taking a fighting stance once again, "Now put them down!"_

"_I'd like to…I really would…but I'm afraid I can't," His face remained impassive, but his eyes and his voice spoke of nothing but an immense sorrow and sadness that the cyborg had never seen in a person alone, "I have no choice."_

"_What do you mean?" Franky suddenly felt sorry for the man, and he berated himself mentally for doing so, "Are you being forced to do this?"_

_A strange glint crossed Itami's eyes before he closed them briefly and sighed, when his eyes opened once again, they were already blood red; and the cyborg tensed, ready to attack. However, the man's words took him aback and he found himself rendered speechless._

"_When you see Roronoa," he started, his right hand already rising towards the shipwright, "Tell him I'm sorry."_

_Another stabbing pain made the cyborg fall to his knees with a grunt, and this time, he did finally lose consciousness. _

_~~/~~_

"And that's really all I can remember…I was knocked out after that…"

The men kept silent for a few moments, trying to think of a reason why Itami would act that way. It was Sanji who broke the silence.

"So basically…that shitty bastard's not a bad guy now?" he looked at the faces of his nakama, and saw they were just as confused as he was. "Do you think he's being forced by Kaien or something?" Again nobody had an answer to his question, because they were all wondering the exact same thing. The cook's eyes finally fell on Zoro, who was lost in thought and seemed just slightly more confused than they were, maybe because he'd already met Itami before. It was then that it came to him, and he pointed towards the swordsman in his realization, "And why is he apologizing only to the marimo? What's he gotta do with this?"

"Do us all a favor, cook, and for once in your life, shut the hell up." Zoro snarled, getting annoyed of the blonde's unending questioning, feeling a headache starting to pulsate at his temples, "We can discuss all this later, we should bring Franky to Chopper first."

"He's right, Sanji," Luffy interrupted the cook's response, knowing his first mate was being reasonable, and trying to prevent an argument that would only make them waste time; because that was something they could not afford at the moment. "Let's go."

* * *

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zoro roared, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he glared at the raven historian, "You mean we're just gonna wait here?!"

"Swordsman-san, I understand your anger," she said impassively, "But you must understand that we have no idea of what awaits us in Kaien's island, and I'm afraid that barging in without a plan, or any manner of caution will only serve to get us killed," she saw Luffy's equally displeased expression and guessed what he was about to say, "I'm sorry, Captain-san, but travelling to the island at night, when there is no way to rightfully study the island is out of the question as well."

The crew kept silent, all of them understanding Robin's logic, but also worried about their nakama and anxious to go save them. The archeologist's severe look softened as she saw their frustrated countenance, and she let her own worry show as she talked to them.

"I'm sorry, but it's the only way we can make sure we get out of this alive. We'll watch the island tomorrow, and then decide on what we should do. Besides, I have a feeling that Kaien is not planning to do anything to them just yet." Her eyes moved to Zoro, who was looking down and trying to calm his anger. _I only hope the reason is not what I think it is…_

"I hope you're right, Robin," Her blue eyes widened for a second as she was brought back to the present, only to soften into a sad look as she met the swordsman's black eyes, "I hope you're right…" He repeated, this time more to himself than the others.

"Alright," Luffy stood with his arms folded and a grave expression that clearly made him the captain, and the one to have the last word in this decision, "We'll wait until tomorrow. Until then, everyone should rest and save their energy for the battle that is to come."

The crew nodded curtly, not a trace of doubt or fear in their eyes as they all looked up at their captain. The boy in the Straw Hat nodded firmly and everyone started standing up to go to their posts or just go to sleep. Luffy, however, walked up to the window and looked at the moon, which was already high up in the sky and sighed.

_Hold on, Nami, Iryann…we're coming to get you._

_------------_

**_Sorry for the short chapter! But I had to end it here, or else it would be to long, because next chapter's gonna be much more complex._**

**_Any of you wondering what's wrong with Itami? *chuckles*_**

**_Please Review! ^^_**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 19**

_Hold on Nami, Iryann…we're coming to get you._

* * *

"You bastard! You're gonna pay for this!" Nami growled as she was dropped on the humid, hard floor of a cave along with Iryann, who was still directing an icy glare towards the man.

Strangely enough, the man did not answer, and just backed up towards the wall, leaning on it as he folded his arms in front of his chest, a dark expression in his eyes that made her huff and look away from him. _What's wrong with this guy?_

"My, my, aren't we the feisty ones..." a chill ran down Nami's spine as a cold voice like she'd never heard before echoed through the cave. The way Iryann tensed and shuddered made her realize immediately who it was. Gulping, she lifted her eyes towards the figure in the other end of the cavern. He was almost pure white. His pale skin and his white long hair in combination with a pure white yukata making him look like nothing but a ghost. The only thing that spoiled the whiteness of his figure was his black waistband. "Apparently all that is said about _Cunning Cat Nami_ is absolutely true."

"Kaien…" the sheer hatred that distilled from Iryann's voice made Nami look at her with worry, she had never seen her friend like that. The man's approaching chuckle made her eyes dart towards him once again as he walked slowly towards them. As he got closer, Nami was able to see his face clearly, pale like the moon; it was his eyes what made her shudder in fear, however, golden irises that seemed to shine in the darkness like those of a predator approaching its prey. The scar that crossed his left eye, joining with another one that crossed his left cheek and his lips, forming an X on the man's left side of his face only served to make his figure that more menacing.

The white man crouched in front of Iryann, grabbing her chin with a pale hand, and forcing her to look at him in the eyes. "Don't worry, princess, I have not forgotten about you." His smirk was so heartless and lacking of humanity that Nami felt a knot form in her throat, which she forced herself to swallow, not wanting to cry in the man's presence.

Iryann spat in the Kaien's face, making him retreat with a scowl and hatred flaming in his eyes. "Where's Datte?!"

After cleaning his face with his sleeve nonchalantly, Kaien gasped with fake concern, "Oh my, how could I forget! What kind of a host would I be if I didn't let you see your beloved friend after such a long time of waiting…you must forgive me, my dear, it seems as though I am getting quite forgetful these days…" Nami felt her lip curl up in a scowl at the man's scorn, and frowned as she felt Iryann start trembling beside her. "Oh wait, I should untie you first, shouldn't I? After all, how will you be able to run to him otherwise?"

With a snap of his fingers, the dark chains that bound them disappeared in a trail of black smoke, allowing them to move their sore limbs freely. Kaien smirked once more, and his eyes darted towards the darkness of the cave. "Why don't you step forward and greet dear Iry-chan, Datte?"

The two girls followed his line of sight and waited in expectation. As soon as the echo of paces started reverberating through the dripping of the cavern, Iryann sprinted towards the approaching figure.

Nami's eyes narrowed…_Something's not right here…_

"Datte!" Iryann cried, feeling that tears of relief had started to form in her eyes, "Datte, thank God you're okay!" She hugged the man with all her strength, holding on to him for dear life as soon as he stepped into the light of the cave, not bothering to look up to see his face. However, when she realized he was not reacting at all, she noticed something was really wrong, and hesitantly raised her eyes towards his face.

There was no emotion in them whatsoever, but what surprised her more was that the color had changed. His silver eyes had turned a shinning golden color, and the white of his eyes was of the darkest black she'd ever seen. Her pupils dilated in fear and worry as she realized what had happened.

"D-Datte?" She gasped, stepping back. Gold on black, his eyes followed her, impassive, showing no feeling or emotion at all. Iryann felt tears start rolling down her cheeks as she brought a hand to her mouth. She stepped towards him once more, holding on to his black vest, trying to shake him into normalcy, "What did they do to you!?! Wake up!! Please, wake up!!"

Nami watched in horror as the blonde gripped the man's shirt with desperation, crying her heart out as she screamed for him, and she brought her hands to her mouth, not believing what she was seeing. Had it all been for nothing? Had they really been too late?

"I'm sorry, dear, but what seems to be the problem?" Kaien asked, not able to keep the smirk from his face, "Is there anything wrong with Datte?"

Iryann turned towards him, her eyes flaring with hatred and panic, "YOU!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!?" She screamed, stomping her way towards the man, who remained calm as ever with his ever-present grin in his mouth. As Iryann got closer to him, her eyes turned a lighter blue, until they were almost white; her arms were covered in frost, and the temperature of the cave had diminished exponentially. Without stopping, she put a fist to her palm, and started taking out what seemed to be a sword from her very own hand. It seemed to be made of crystal, and the coldness that invaded the cavern then was so great that Nami gasped in shock. Iryann raised her icy sword, and sprinted towards Kaien with a strangled cry, determined to drive it through his dark heart.

"Iryann!!" Nami yelled, trying to stop her, "Wait!! You can't go against him!!"

The girl, however, did not listen, and brought her sword down upon Kaien, who had not moved an inch since she had gone berserk. Iryann screamed in fury, using all her strength as she struck down…only to be stopped an inch away from the man's head.

Nami's eyes widened in fear as she saw the blackness that had stopped Iryann's attack; screaming as the black claws shattered the sword and wrapped themselves around the blonde, making her unable to move, "IRYANN!!" The girl seemed to have paralyzed in fear as the black claws threw her in the air towards the navigator, making her slide across the cave, scrapping her arms and legs as she hit the hard rock.

"Perhaps I overestimated you, my dear," Kaien cackled as he glanced coldly at the girl shuddering on the ground, "One would think that, by now, you would know better than to take on someone like me…didn't your dear Datte tell you that many times?" His golden orbs then focused on Nami, who was busy trying to help Iryann stand up, "He was smarter than to come and fight against me, unlike those filthy _pirates_, who will just barge in here any minute and claim they can defeat me only because I'm _the bad guy_ who took away their precious _nakama_," he scowled at the mention of the word, "And then…how does that oblivious, pathetic little captain of yours put it? Oh yes!......." he glared at Nami in distaste, "_Kick my ass_." He snarled, "How vulgar."

"But still true!" Nami roared, her eyes flaring in anger at the insult to his captain and nakama, "When Luffy, Zoro and the rest get here you're gonna take back those words," she glared at him, "Because they _will _come, and they _will_ kick your ass!!" She felt her hatred for the man increase when Kaien did nothing but laugh at her yells, as though it was the most hilarious thing in the world. "What's so funny?" She hissed, her lips curling up in a snarl.

"Oh, nothing," he said as he tried to stop laughing, "I just thought it was funny of you to bring your swordsman up," Nami felt her heart skip a beat, "You'd be better off wishing he didn't come here at all, darling, if you wish to see him alive anytime soon that is..."

"What do you mean?" she stuttered, "What are you going to do to him!?"

"Oh, that's right," he gasped mockingly, bringing a hand to his chin, "None of you know the value of his soul, of course you wouldn't imagine why I would want anything from him…" Nami's breathing started coming in fast pants at the thought of Kaien wanting Zoro's soul, her eyes were so wide and confused that Kaien thought to take _pity_ on her and save the poor girl from her dreadful ignorance.

"I'll give you a hint," he continued, "I'm sure by now you have heard of the bearers of the essences of the gods…also known as _tsukai_." He saw the girl's eyes light up with the name, and took it as a yes, "Well, there are two basic types of _tsukai:_ your pathetic little friend over here, for instance, is what is known as a _Zen Tsukai_, or whole bearer, which means of course that she holds the entire essence of ice in her soul," not being able to see any sort of confusion in Nami's eyes, he continued, "There are, however, other types of holders…those that are called _Han Tsukai_, or half bearers." He smirked, "Those are the ones that only hold a fraction of the entire essence."

Nami blinked in confusion. _What does any of this have to do with Zoro? He doesn't even have powers! He's just a human......an abnormally _strong_ human, but still a human.......not a tsukai or whatever that's called._

"You look so troubled, my dear," he said in mock concern, "Let's see if I can put you on the right page," he coughed solemnly, as if he were to start a lecture, "I'm sure you have witnessed our dear swordsman's techniques…" Kaien saw dread starting to shine in Nami's eyes, "…and that if you have, you will know that not just anyone could do what he does…_Enbima Yonezu_....._Asura_..." he smiled with satisfaction, "Do you see where I'm going?" his grin turned condescending, "Or should I explain myself once more?"

The girl looked down in horror. _Zoro's a Tsukai? But then what essence does he have? He's never done anything like Iryann…It's not possible…_

"Well now, shall I explain what I do for a living?" he asked happily, "You might find you'll understand much more that way, dear, I'm quite sure…" Nami's brown eyes met his gold ones, and he nodded with a grin, "Brilliant! Let's get started then!" he walked towards the center of the cave once more, "As you may have already suspected, I am also a Tsukai…Unfortunately, I am not _Zen Tsukai_, but a _Han Tsukai_, I bear the essence of _darkness_." He walked up to his stone throne, and sat, as though tired and exhausted from the lecture, "It has taken me thirty years…but I have managed to find all the other holders of my essence, and absorbed their power," his eyes drifted into space as his mouth curled up into a scowl, "And now I have finally found the last one…and will not rest until I get back the power that was rightfully mine…" Golden eyes came back from oblivion and turned towards Nami, a mad grin forming at his lips, "I am sure you have already guessed what Roronoa's essence is..."

Nami's eyes couldn't be wider, her eyes glimmered with fear that was quickly overpowered by hatred and fury as she started to get up, slowly, from the cold floor, "You _bastard_," she hissed as her Clima-Tact flew into her hands, "Don't you dare hurt him!!" Kaien's eyes shined with amusement, not moving an inch as the room started to spark with static electricity, "I won't let you hurt him!!" she darted towards him, and was, like Iryann, trapped by a claw of darkness. No matter how much she wriggled and struggled to get free, the darkness around her just gripped tighter, till the point where she could barely breathe.

"Tsk, tsk…" Kaien shook his head slowly and sighed, "Must it always come to this? I thought we had already established that you cannot defeat me," the darkness brought Nami closer to him, until they were just at eye contact, and barely a foot away from each other, "Was I overestimating you as well, young lady?" The hateful glare that the girl gave him was enough to make him smile, and the hand retreated once more and threw Nami beside Iryann, who had been quiet the whole time, still shaking and with her head down. "Well, I'm afraid I have no business with the two of you for now, so there's no reason to keep you roaming around anymore, now is there?" Another snap of his fingers, and they were both slammed against the wall and bound to it by those same black chains that had trapped them before.

Itami watched from his spot against the wall, his face as cold and impassive as always; waiting for his master to give him new orders. He glanced shortly at the girls. Iryann seemed to have lost all her power, her head hanging heavily with her ash blonde bangs covering her face (although the chains could've have something to do with that); the thief, however, was still glaring heatedly at Kaien, and was apparently not willing to give up just yet. The vision made a small smirk tug on his lips, and he looked down discreetly to hide it from his master…who, apparently, was about to issue another order. The redhead looked up once more, his green eyes looking directly into those of Kaien, his former smile nowhere to be seen. "Do you have any more orders for me, my lord?"

The man grinned evilly, and for some reason it made chills run up the young man's spine, a voice in the back of his mind warning him that he was in danger. Kaien's grin was then covered by a magnanimous smile, and Itami's eyes narrowed just slightly.

"Itami, my boy," he started, sounding much like a king would talk to his loyal servant, "You have served me well these past years, and have always stayed by my side," dread started forming at the pit of the man's stomach, and he fought the urge to frown, _I don't like where this is going…_, "Today, I must ask you to lend me your power for the upcoming battle."

Itami blinked, genuinely confused, "My lord, you know you have me at your service…"

Kaien faked sadness, "I know, my boy, but I am afraid it is not going to be enough this time," Itami felt the dread come back and fought the urge to run, _Oh no…_ "You have an amazing power, Itami…" the redhead's eyes narrowed, _But? There's a but coming in that sentence…_ "But I'm afraid you're just not using it to its full potential."

"With all due respect, _sir_, but if that has been the case, it is only because I never saw it necessary to use it in such a way." He said, hoping it would fool Kaien, but knowing it was just wishful thinking.

Nami looked at Itami, who seemed to be having a hard time hiding his nervousness. _Is he hiding something?_

"I wish that was the problem, boy, but you know just as well as I do that it isn't," Kaien's cold smile came back full force as his golden predator-like eyes dug into his new prey, "Or did you really think you could fool me?"

The navigator's eyes narrowed in confusion. _What? What the hell's going on here?_ Iryann raised her head and looked at Itami with wide eyes, _Could it be…_

Itami cursed inwardly as his eyes glanced around quickly for the exit, while still trying not to look too nervous. _Shit!_ "I don't understand, my lord."

"Oh, but you do, boy," his eyes darkened, "Why else do you think I went to your encounter all those years ago? You have an essence, Itami, and a really powerful at that...the essence of _pain_," the color drained out of Itami's face as he involuntarily stepped back, "You thought you had me fooled, didn't you? When you said you'd eaten an Akuma no mi and I _naively_ refrained from asking any questions. Did you really think I would have asked you to join if I wasn't interested in your ability to begin with?"

Itami's eyes were glinting with despise and a dreadful fear of his master's tendency of absorbing essences that attract him, as his mind started to connect the dots he had tried to ignore for the last five years. Nami's eyes widened as he saw the man's green eyes turn red with hatred. "So you knew all along, huh? Then why wait until now?"

"Honestly? I was hoping you might get used to the fact that you can't control your thirst for pain," he said with a feral grin, "But you're still as weak as before! Or didn't you think I'd know of all the times your heart clenched while you killed the people I ordered you to slaughter?! Didn't you think I'd see the tears rolling down your face while your essence _still_ craved for more!?" the man roared, his eyes flaming with dark ambition and anger. "It's still hungry, isn't it? Can't you hear it pleading you to let go and torture us all with immense pain, kill us slowly while we scream in agony?! Why don't you let go, Itami? Show me your power!"

Iryann watched as Itami started shaking, barely able to control his thirst as his hands found their way to his red hair, trying with all his might to silence the voices in his head. Nami couldn't take her eyes away from him, praying to anyone who heard her that he would control his hunger. When Itami's red eyes suddenly focused on them, she felt her heart stop in fear.

He was going to kill them; he was going to torture them until there was no blood left inside their bodies; the desire for agony that those eyes portrayed filled her mind with images of bloody slaughter and pain. The navigator felt her eyes water as she started shaking with fear, her eyes wide and unable to turn away from those thirsty blood-red orbs.

Suddenly, Itami fell to his knees with an agonized scream, "NO!!" He roared, breathing heavily as he fought back against the desire to kill. A dagger flashed swiftly in his hand as he stabbed his own leg with it, grunting at the pain that ran through his rapidly bleeding thigh. The redhead gasped, feeling the thirst start fading while his essence feasted on his own pain. Nami felt her breath come back to her as she saw his eyes turn emerald green once again, still shaking as she watched the man's head hanging with exhaustion.

Kaien's mouth curled up in disgust and obvious disappointment. Heaving an annoyed sigh, he leaned back on his throne and glared at the young man, still crouched on the cold rock floor.

"You are _weak_, Itami," he snarled, "Your heart is not strong enough to bear hurting others." He looked towards Datte, who remained impassive and emotionless by his side, "I did everything in my power to make your heart darker, and I was so close…but then that woman had to ruin everything…"

Itami gasped and looked at Kaien, horrified, "…K-kurenai?"

"Oh, yes," the white man's lips curled up in a feral smile, "That's right, you loved her didn't you?" he leaned his chin on a pale hand putting on a bored face, "She was the only one that could calm your thirst, and you finally felt accepted, and thought you'd live happily ever after and blah, blah, blah…"

Nami felt her mouth curl up in a snarl as the man mocked the redhead, who seemed to have lost the ability to breathe. Iryann frowned in disgust, directing an icy glare towards the man.

"Those were the best two years of your life, weren't they," an amused grin spread across his face, "Of course, I couldn't let that happen…"

Itami's eyes widened before directing a hateful glare at Kaien, "You…!"

"Yes, me," The satisfaction was evident in the man's voice, "She actually turned out to be of some use. As soon as I made her disappear from your life, you went berserk and on a killing spree…" he chuckled, "All this time thinking it had been the marines going after your bounty…I figure I made it quite obvious for you that it had been that way, didn't I?"

"You killed her, you bastard!!"

"Ah ah ah," he wagged a long pale finger, "One must take responsibility, Itami," his feral smile appeared once more, "You know she'd still be there, if it wasn't for you. So in all fairness…I believe this would be _your_ fault, boy, not mine."

Itami stepped back, the power it had taken him to restrain himself suddenly taking a toll on him as he fell to his knees once more. He looked at his shaking hands, his eyes wide. "…My fault…"

"STOP IT! You monster!!!" Nami roared, not willing to witness anymore of Kaien's cruelty, "How low can you get?! You damn _sadist_!!"

Kaien's lips curled up in a snarl, directing a glare towards the fuming navigator. "Be quiet, sweet heart, or I'll erase that loud mouth from your pretty face."

"I'd like to see you try!" the girl's eyes flamed with anger as she took on Kaien's glare with renewed confidence. "Because when Luffy, Zoro and the others get here, you're gonna wish you hadn't put your bloody white hands on me!!"

"Oh, that reminds me." He turned back to Itami, who was watching Nami with widened eyes, and a look of genuine surprise in his face, "Forgive my ranting," he laughed, "I had almost forgotten what my main purpose was…" he stood from his throne, and paced slowly towards him, feeling Nami and Iryann glaring holes on his head as he did so, "…Give me your power, Itami," the redhead's eyes snapped towards him, "Let me set you free from your torment…"

"I'm guessing by that you mean, rip my soul out of my body and hope I die immediately after, instead of suffering through an agonizingly slow death, right?" Itami glared, feeling his confidence come back in the form of hatred.

"It would be better if you cooperated, boy, I assure you."

Nami saw as Itami's eyes turned red once more, this time turning their power against Kaien, who seemed to stop short at the sight of it. Suddenly, she felt hope. She took in a long breath,

"ITAMI!! GO TO LUFFY AND THE OTHERS!!" She continued yelling, even when she felt Kaien's glare digging into her closed eyes, "Tell them everything!! And tell Zoro--!" Her words were abruptly silenced by a dark tentacle that wrapped itself around her face, making sure to seal her mouth closed. Her eyes still pleaded for Itami to go warn her nakama, even as she felt the chains tighten around her, making it harder to breathe. Iryann seemed to be suffering a similar fate as she squirmed, trying to get rid of the tentacle over her mouth.

"You little--" Kaien's golden eyes narrowed with hatred as he made the chains tighten even further. Itami, on the other hand, nodded firmly, his emerald orbs filling their exhausted bodies with hope.

"I will, I promise." His eyes darted back towards Kaien, who was already extending his hand towards him, in an attempt to steal his essence before he managed to escape. Itami, however, was faster.

"Ugh!" the white man felt a pulsating pain burning in his head, and a hand came to his forehead as he cringed in agony, clenching his golden irises shut.

By the time Kaien managed to open his eyes, Itami was gone, a grey and reddish cloud occupying the space he had filled just seconds ago; and Nami and Iryann would have smiled at the frustration in his face…had it not been of course for the darn tentacles sealing their mouths shut.

---------------------------------------

**...Confusing much? I'm not so sure I like this chapter...but it had to happen so I guess it's not that bad...**

**If any of you have questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer as clearly as I can ^^**

**I hope you liked it, and sorry there's not much of Zoro (or the rest of the crew) in this chapter...I promise to make up for that on the next chapter =)**

**Reviews are appreciated ^^**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 20**

Zoro sighed quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose to try to lessen the pulsating headache that tortured his temples. He was getting anxious, and that was not going to help neither him nor his nakama. He looked around the room, it was probably around midnight. Sanji's shift would end soon, and he'd have to get up on the roofs and keep watch for a couple hours…

Too bad he hadn't slept at all.

With another sigh, he looked down on the small body in his arms. Mai, the little two-year-old that had come to greet them first, was fast asleep and curled up against his chest. He'd been with her since Luffy had ordered them to rest…and he didn't quite know why. As he gazed upon the sleeping girl's rounded features, he frowned, remembering she was now an orphan…at such young age. He chuckled and shook his head slightly.

_It's not like you remember your own parents that much…_

His black eyes darted towards the ceiling as he heard steps from the roof. _The cook's done_. Carefully, he stood up, making sure not to awaken the little girl, and made his way to the small cradle in the center of the room. The girl barely moved in her sleep, if not to close her little fists tightly around the cloth of Zoro's shirt. The swordsman smiled sadly. Once he got to the cradle, he stopped for a second, getting another glance of the sleeping baby, and slowly untangled her tiny hands from his shirt before lowering her down onto the small bed.

As he was going to stand up, something seemed to keep him from doing so, and it was then that he noticed that one of Mai's hands was holding his finger tightly. Slightly tense for a second, he checked to see if the girl was awake, only to find her just as sound asleep as before. His tension leaving him, he kneeled down next to the cradle, rocking it slowly side to side, until the girl's grip started weakening, and she let go of his finger completely. It seemed like the little girl wouldn't let him go even in her sleep…_You miss him, huh…_

"Marimo…" Sanji's low whisper reached his ears from the entrance of the living room, and he silently stood up, giving the baby a last glance before walking towards him. The cook was leaning on the door frame, hands in his pockets, and an already dead cigarette hanging from his lips. Zoro nodded to him in acknowledgement before walking past him, stopping momentarily when he heard Sanji speak again. "It's not your fault, you know…"

The swordsman looked at him in askance with half hooded eyes, and as he saw the cook's eyes divert towards the cradle for half a second before looking back at him, Zoro understood what Sanji meant. His black eyes glanced back towards the sleeping baby once more, and the room stayed silent for a moment. He sighed and turned around, facing the door, not looking at Sanji in the eyes, "I know." And he walked out silently, not giving the cook a chance to differ.

As the swordsman disappeared from view, Sanji waited until he heard the sound of a door opening and closing with a low creek, and sighed. Taking the cigarette from his lips and eyeing it distractedly as he rolled it between his fingers, he chuckled bitterly, "Idiot…then what's with that face?" he flicked the cigarette in the air, and watched it fall perfectly inside the coffee table's ashtray.

* * *

Zoro leaned against the chimney with a sigh. He was on the roof of Chuuko's house, and it was already around one in the morning. So far, it didn't seem like there'd be any attacks…but one could never be too sure.

"Damn, I should've gotten some booze before coming up here…" he grumbled in annoyance. He needed something to distract himself, or he'd go crazy. He was _this _close to running off on his own to find Nami and Iryann…_**This**_ close.

_That woman…always getting into trouble…_

Jet black eyes fell on his three swords, which were set against the wall beside him. His right hand unconsciously reached for Wado Ichimoji, holding her gently while his left hand caressed the sheath with care as he laid the white katana across his lap. He glanced at his other two swords from the corner of his eyes and shrugged.

_Might as well clean them a bit…_

With that in mind, he slowly unsheathed Wado, and the sword gleamed under the moonlight as though greeting her master after having slept for a long time. Zoro smiled absently, his gaze becoming slightly distant, the way it always did whenever he looked at his white katana, remembering times that had passed long ago, and the promise that he was still determined to fulfill. Seeing as he didn't have his usual cleansing tools, he untied the black bandanna from his left arm and passed it gently along the blade.

"That's a nice sword…" Zoro tensed and sprung to his feet, the white katana ready to attack while his other hand reached for the closest sword behind him, which happened to be Sandai Kitetsu. His eyes roamed in the darkness, trying to get a hold of the intruder, and failing miserably.

"Come out, you coward," he growled, not yelling for fear of disrupting the peaceful sleep that the children of the village had finally fallen into.

"Oh, I would…" the voice seemed mocking, but at the same time tired, every few words interrupted by heavy breaths, "But you happen…to be pointing a sword at me, and that's not…a good incentive…"

"Heh!" Zoro snorted, "You expect me to believe you won't try to attack me as soon as I lower my swords?" his dark eyes still glared at the darkness surrounding him. _Where the hell is this guy?_

"I understand your mistrust…" he paused to get some air, "But I give you my word, swordsman… I am not here to fight…" the voice stopped, waiting for his response.

"Show yourself," he started, "And _then_ I will lower my swords." He heard an amused chuckle.

"A smart choice, I guess I wouldn't trust me either," Zoro heard the sound boots walking over tiles, and narrowed his eyes, "I shall do as you say then…"

A figure walked from behind one of the chimneys on the roof, coming out of the shadow that the brick column provided; it was obviously a man. After a couple steps, his eyes came to view, and Zoro felt himself stiffen as he saw a couple of glinting green orbs staring at him from barely ten feet away.

"Relax, Roronoa…" Itami stepped forward and winced slightly, pressing a hand to his left leg, "I am not here as an enemy."

"And what are you then?" Zoro asked, lowering his swords slightly but still not letting his guard down.

"An ally, I suppose," He grinned bitterly, "For we have a common enemy now…and I'm afraid I cannot hope to gain back Kaien's forgiveness after my…rude escape." The thought seemed to amuse him as he chuckled, "Not that I'd really want to go back, now…"

"Do you really expect me to trust you, Itami?" his lips curled up in a snarl, but the redhead's honest response took him by surprise.

"Nope." He said bluntly, with a genuine look in his eyes, "But I'm afraid I'm the only chance you have of getting Iryann and your navigator back alive…and maybe Datte as well."

Zoro eyed him carefully, not sure whether he should believe him or not. The man had killed all the men in the village, for God's sake. However, when he looked into the man's eyes, he knew Itami was being honest…and by the wound on his left thigh, he hadn't left Kaien on good terms. Sighing, he sheathed Sandai Kitetsu, while still holding Wado in his hand…it didn't hurt to be cautious.

"Alright, I'll take you to Luffy." He walked towards the edge of the roof and jumped down, waiting for Itami to do the same. He was somewhat surprised, however, when the man appeared right next to him in a puff of smoke, which almost made him jump in shock with a scream…almost. The man smiled apologetically, noticing he had startled the swordsman.

"Sorry," he pointed to his still bleeding leg, "Can't jump from high places just yet. Not good."

"Hn." Zoro nodded and signaled for him to start walking towards the door, not wanting to give his back to the man; a thing that Itami seemed to perfectly understand as he walked with a slight limp towards the house.

Once inside, he looked around, and motioned for him to wait in the dining room, not wanting to put the man in the same area as the baby he'd left sleeping in the living room but two hours ago. Itami nodded and stepped inside silently.

"Wait in there; and you better not move a muscle before I come back." He ordered menacingly, eyeing the man with suspicion as the redhead smiled and leaned against a wall in the room. Zoro's eyes narrowed slightly; there was something he didn't like about that smile…it seemed fake, forced.

"Yes, sir." Although his voice was slightly mocking, he saw honesty in the man's eyes once again, and started turning towards the stairs, hesitating for a moment before leaving the man out of his sight. He could only hope he was not being played with.

* * *

Luffy tossed and turned in his bed. As much as he wanted to fall asleep, telling himself that he needed to rest to prepare for the following morning…he just couldn't. He was too anxious.

Any other night and, if someone had walked into his room at one in the morning, he would have remained dead to the world, and would not have noticed. But with the circumstances being what they were, it came as no surprise when he heard the door open behind him, and the heavy but quiet steps that could only his first mate's walking towards his bed. Knowing Zoro wouldn't bother him if it wasn't something important, he turned to face him, and was greeted by a very serious and slightly worried swordsman. The sight made him frown slightly, and he sat up to look at him in the eye.

"What's wrong?" his voice was serious, unlike his usual childish and carefree tone.

"We have to meet downstairs," Zoro's voice was urgent and grave, and Luffy found himself immediately putting his bare feet on the cold floor, "All of us."

The captain nodded, knowing better than to ask for specifics. He was sure that Zoro would explain everything once they were all gathered. His first mate nodded with slight gratitude at his understanding and went to wake up the others.

* * *

Within five minutes, the whole crew had gathered downstairs and was walking into the dining room, all of them confused and somewhat worried at the seriousness of the swordsman. Usopp rubbed his eyes tiredly as he took a seat by the dining table in the center of the room, around which all the others had started to take their place. Franky, Sanji and Luffy, however, stood erect in the opposite side of the room where Zoro stood, waiting for them to settle down.

"Now," Sanji started, "Would you tell us what the hell's going on, marimo?"

Zoro frowned at the cook, but stopped himself when he saw the same question reflected in the others' eyes. With a sigh, he glanced at a dark corner in the room, and nodded. The rest of the crew frowned slightly, or eyed the swordsman with an even more confused expression. However, as soon as they recognized the figure that came out of the darkness their eyes all widened in fear and panic.

"I-I-I-I-ITAMI!?" Usopp's mouth was quickly covered by two of Robin's extra hands, to prevent any more yells from awaking the lady and the baby still sleeping in the house. Poor Chopper was so terrified that he couldn't even bring himself to scream.

Zoro raised his hands to calm them down, but before he got any chance to explain, a black and yellow blur flew past him and smashed the redhead into the wall, pressing him painfully against it with crushing force.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed with barely contained anger, "Are you planning on taking anyone else, you bastard?"

Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose with exasperation. _I knew this would happen_. However, once again, before he could say anything, someone else beat him to it.

"Actually," Itami raised his hands as a sign of peace, his smile and his mocking voice making Sanji clench his teeth in anger, "I'm here to help."

The cook snorted and pressed him further into the wall, somewhat surprised at not seeing Itami flinch or wince at all, but managing to hide his amazement behind an angry snarl, "And why on earth would we believe that?"

"I don't know, you tell me," the redhead's voice was starting to drive Sanji over the edge, "They're your nakama, after all…" he said with a smirk.

_Oh, that is it._

The blonde's snarl became fiercer as he prepared to give a finishing blow. However, before he even got to raise his leg, his captain intervened.

"Sanji." Luffy's voice made the pressure of the cook's leg immediately decrease, "Let him go."

Sanji's head turned to him with a scowl, "Luffy, do you have any idea who this shithead is!?"

"Yes, I do," the captain replied with authority, "But Zoro trusts him, and I trust Zoro. Now put him down."

The cook put his leg down obediently, and stepped back from the redhead, who took the time to take a deep breath and crack his shoulders after being put under so much pressure. Robin eyed him with narrowed eyes, her face serious as she considered the man's attitude and if he could be planning to betray them.

"Now, Swordsman-san," her fierce blue eyes turned to Zoro, who was waiting for the moment to start explaining, "If you would be so kind as to explain what this man is doing here…"

Zoro coughed slightly, trying to clear his voice, "He came to me during my watch," his eyes turned towards Itami, making everyone else follow his gaze as the redhead stood silently, smiling, "Apparently, he left Kaien, and is willing to help us get Nami and Iryann back."

"And you _trust_ him?" Sanji asked with a snarl.

"No, he doesn't," Itami interrupted before the swordsman could reply, "And honestly, I don't expect you to do so either," his eyes turned serious then, "But I'm afraid you don't have a choice. If you want to get your friends back, you will need my help."

The room was silent after that. Itami could see them balancing their options and thinking it all through as his eyes went from one to another. The little reindeer and the longnose flinched under his stare, and he looked away, not wanting to cause any more trouble (although that didn't keep him from finding it amusing). It was the captain who broke the silence; the redhead had noticed that he'd been staring at his bleeding leg for some time.

"So you betrayed Kaien?" Monkey D. Luffy asked, his face serious and completely different from his smiling face in the wanted poster.

"Actually," Itami started, aware that all eyes were on him, "_He_ betrayed _me_."

"Care to elaborate?" the blond cook asked, his tone less than friendly.

"Certainly," the redhead's smirk was still plastered on his face, thing that annoyed the cook to no end, "Let's just say that he knew that I have an essence, a fact that I thought I had managed to hide from him for all this years, and well..." he scratched the back of his neck, "...he tried to absorb it."

Everyone's eyes widened at the last statement.

"Absorb it?" the crew chorused.

"Of course," Itami stared at them like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Why do you think Kaien's so interested in collecting bearers?" he asked, "He wants the essences to himself."

"Then why did he wait so long to absorb yours?" the little reindeer asked, flinching slightly when the redhead's green eyes fell on his small figure.

"Apparently, he wanted to wait until my essence took over my body so that he could use me as a mindless tool," the indifference in his voice made all the people in the room wonder about the man's sanity.

"A-and what is your essence?" the doctor asked timidly once more.

"Pain."

The room fell in a complete silence, and nobody seemed able to meet the eyes of the redhead anymore. Robin, however, managed to gather up courage pretty quickly.

"So then, you are able to cause pain to others with your mind?"

Itami chuckled bitterly, "If it was only that simple."

Robin frowned, "What do you mean?"

"You see, all bearers, or Tsukai, as they are called, receive something from their essences from the day they are born." He explained, "It can be a personality trait, a physical feature…anything." His eyes roamed around the room as he talked, "Your friend Iryann, for example, had a tendency to be cold and apathetic when she was younger…however, Datte managed to help her open up to others." Zoro's eyes became distant for a moment as he remembered the young Iryann he had once known, and the coldness he'd seen in her eyes at times, "As for Datte, his essence being the wind…let's just say he has a need to be free and cannot stand being closed up in a place for too long."

"And you?" Luffy asked, suddenly curious, but somehow dreading the answer.

"I thirst for pain." His voice lacked all emotion then, although his eyes portrayed a misery and exhaustion that none of them had ever seen in a man before, "I cannot help it. My body craves it, and I must obey if I want to keep my sanity…"

For a moment, Luffy caught a glimpse of the restlessness and helplessness in the man's eyes, but it was quickly covered with his usual fake smile. Itami's eyes glazed slightly as he gazed into oblivion.

"There was only one person that managed to calm my thirst…" his lips suddenly curled up in a snarl, "And Kaien took her away from me, which is the main reason why I want nothing other than to watch that man's downfall."

Again, silence filled the room. However, it was soon broken by the sound of small hoofs clopping against the wooden floor as Chopper walked up to the man, surprising everyone in the dining space. The reindeer looked at the wound in Itami's leg and then into the man's eyes.

"I should treat this," he started, "Or it'll get infected."

"No." he said softly as he backed up from the surprised reindeer, "I need it. If I don't have something for my essence to feed on…" he frowned, "I might lose control and turn against you."

The little reindeer looked at him with pleading eyes, "But you're in pain."

He gave him a crooked smile, "Better me than you, don't you think?"

Chopper sighed miserably. He still wasn't sure what to think of the man, but he did not like to see people suffering, especially those who were trying help them. However, seeing that he could not win the argument, he turned and walked back to his seat. Itami smiled sadly, and then looked at the rest.

"May I ask you a question, Redhead-san?" all eyes turned towards Robin, whose wise blue orbs were completely focused on the redhead.

"Ask away," Itami went back to his original mood and smirked at the archeologist, seemingly amused by the nickname.

"What does Kaien want from Swordsman-san?"

Zoro looked at her with wide eyes then, as did everybody else in the room. They had all forgotten the pain that Kaien had put Zoro through just a couple days ago, as well as the nightmares that had kept the swordsman from his sleep during a week before Iryann ever made an appearance.

"Well, the answer to that is very simple," Itami responded, not at all surprised by the question, "Roronoa here has an essence."

The way the crew stared at him almost made the redhead burst out laughing. The skeleton's mouth almost reached the ground, thing that he found especially amusing.

"HUH?!"

"What!?" Zoro yelled, "That's not possible!"

"I'm afraid it is," he answered, not at all bothered by the swordsman's yelling; "Actually, you only have a small fraction of an essence…_Kaien's_ to be exact." He smirked, "You have a part of the essence of darkness."

"B-but Zoro doesn't have any powers…" Usopp stuttered.

"It's true," he replied with a straight face, "He doesn't."

Sanji shook his face in confusion, "You're not making any sense. If the marimo has an essence, shouldn't he have some special powers?"

"Theoretically, yes," he replied, "But he has such a small fraction of Kaien's essence, that it barely has any effect on his soul." He looked at Zoro, "It is only enough to make his _haki_ a lot darker and demonic than normal," he nodded towards his swords, "Which probably helps a bit when performing those techniques of yours…like _Asura_ and _Enbima Yonezu_…" again his eyes found the swordsman's, "But rest assured, the essence only affects the nature of your _haki_, not its strength…the rest can all be accredited to your efforts."

"So…if his essence is that small," Vivi asked, speaking up for the same time, "Why does Kaien want it?"

"Because he is convinced that it's the last bit of power he needs to rule over the darkness of the world…" he chuckled, "He's obsessed with power, you see, and that has made him look at things with less objectivity than he should…which is the main reason why he thinks that he'll obtain a considerable amount of power after absorbing Roronoa's essence."

"What about Datte though?" Zoro suddenly asked, wanting to take the subject away from himself, "Has Kaien absorbed his essence?" Itami shook his head.

"Not yet. For now, he's just using him as a puppet," at the questioning looks he earned, he elaborated, "He possessed him with one of his spectrums and has total control over his mind and body." His eyes turned towards the ceiling in thought, "Although I'm sure he's planning on absorbing it eventually… I guess it all depends on how long he finds it entertaining."

"Is there a way to get him back to normal?" the swordsman asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Oh, I am sure there is," he shrugged, "But I'm afraid Kaien's never trusted me enough to tell me…so we'll have to find out by ourselves."

Zoro nodded. He seemed to want to ask something else, but hesitated. The internal struggle he was going through made a frown appear on the swordsman's forehead, and Itami could almost guess what the green haired man wanted to ask.

"For the sake of your mental stability," he started with an amused voice, "I'll have you know that both the navigator and the little ice princess are fine." The way the shoulders of every member of the crew (especially those of a certain swordsman) seemed to relax was more than noticeable, but the redhead made not comment on it, "I am sure Kaien will not absorb Iryann's essence until he's sure that we won't bother him, and I know for a fact that he only ordered me to capture the navigator to use her as leverage. So they'll be treated relatively well, considering the place where they're being kept."

"How can you be so sure?" Sanji asked with suspicion. Itami met his hard stare without problems.

"Because, after five years, I should know what Kaien likes to do with his hostages." His eyes told the crew that he knew what he was talking about, "I can assure you that, as soon as we get there, he'll have both of them ready to blackmail us; but he will not touch them before then." He paused, "However, the sooner we get there, the more chances of them being unharmed there are." His eyes creased up in a smile, "It is better to be safe than sorry, after all."

"Then you'll help us?" Luffy asked, wanting to confirm the redhead's intentions.

Itami sighed, "I guess," He ran a hand through his wild blood-red hair; "I don't think I should go back after the way I left, unless I wanted my essence to be taken away from me. But there's no way you'll be able to find your way within the caves by yourselves…" he smirked, "And plus, I want him dead as much as you do." He looked deeply into the captain's eyes, "My power will probably be useful against him… I can make him lose his focus on you and act as decoy or something."

Sanji eyed him with some lingering suspicion, "And after we defeat Kaien?"

The man smiled and shrugged, "I'll leave that for you to decide."

The cook's eyes narrowed and everyone in the room looked at him with renewed distrust and fear. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said." He replied matter-of-factly, "You can kill me, for all I care," the nonchalance with which he said it made a shiver run up Usopp's spine, and Luffy frowned as he watched the redhead chuckle bitterly, "…It would certainly make things easier…"

Sanji snorted, trying to sound unimpressed, but failing miserably at doing so. His laugh however, turned the man's green eyes towards his blue one, and he put on a serious face. Itami smirked.

"It would have to be on one condition, though," he said happily, wagging a finger in the air, "I will only agree to get killed by either Straw Hat or Roronoa," everyone gaped at him as he chose his executioners like he was selecting a gift for his birthday. His green eyes then turned to Robin and Vivi, and his mouth curled up in a sly grin, "Although I wouldn't mind if any of the ladies did it."

Sanji glared at the man heatedly and stepped in front of the redhead's line of vision to hide the women behind him. Itami just smiled _"apologetically"_.

"I'm sorry, blondie," he shrugged and shook his head, feigning sadness, "But I'm afraid you're not on my list of _People I'd like to get killed by_…" he winked, "Maybe some other time."

It was Zoro's time to chuckle now, and as much as they didn't want to, the rest of the room couldn't help but laugh as well, trying their best to hide their giggles as the cook glared daggers at them; his body seeming to become wrapped in flames of fury. Itami smiled, quite satisfied with himself at having been able to lighten the mood.

"Should we leave by morning, then?" he asked, bringing the crew back to the situation at hand, "Like I said, Kaien's not going to do anything to the girls unless he sees you're really not falling for the bait," he nodded towards Chopper, who was fighting to keep his eyes open, "Besides, I think I couple of hours of sleep would certainly do you good." He eyed Roronoa, and read the look he gave him like an open book, "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere…I'm tired as hell." Zoro's eyes moved to his still bleeding leg and the swordsman nodded, knowing the redhead could not walk far with that wound.

"Do you think you can keep yourself from bleeding to death before morning?" Itami looked at him inquisitively, "You can stay like that until we leave, so that you can control yourself while we sleep; but in the morning, Chopper will have to take a look at it." The look of slight panic and protest that Itami gave him almost made him feel bad for the man.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he started, but Zoro was having none of it.

"If you really feel like you can't pull yourself together, I'll cut it open for you again," Itami's eyes widened at the seriousness behind his eyes, "But I can't risk you dying before we get to Kaien's."

Itami looked down to his wound, pressing it slightly with his hand, making the pain reappear, and winced. His essence had started nagging him again, but it seemed like the pain in his leg was still enough to sate its thirst. Once he felt it start retreating once more, he sighed in a mix of relief and resignation. He looked at Zoro once more, and nodded.

"I understand," he glanced at Chopper, who still seemed anxious about letting him sleep with that wound still open, "Don't worry, I won't die yet…it's not that easy."

Chopper looked at the man in the eyes, and for a moment, he detected something akin to warmth in his small smile and his emerald green orbs. Sighing, he nodded. "Okay."

Itami closed his eyes, composing himself. When he opened them once more he seemed to be back to his old mocking self.

"Alright then," he started, "We will depart at dawn," he looked out to window, "I'm guessing you still have around four hours left to sleep, so make sure you use them." He glanced back at Luffy, "If we leave at sunrise, we'll be able to get there around noon, or a bit later," his eyes roamed through the crew, making sure they all understood, "Once we're there, however, we'll have to wait until the sun sets to break in. It's better if his minions don't see us coming." His eyes found Luffy's once more, "I will explain the plan while we wait for nightfall."

Everyone nodded and fell silent for a moment. It seemed like they had finally started to trust him…not like they had much option, really. The captain, however, had the feeling that he could really rely on him. As much as he wanted to look at the redhead with suspicion, his instincts told him that he was a man of his word; and Luffy's instincts were always right. After deciding that this was the best course of action, Luffy straightened his hat on his head and looked at his crew with a his trademark grin.

"Well, it's decided then," his smirk and conviction were slowly reflected on his nakama's faces, "How about we kick this guy's ass?"

"YEAH!"

...

"Usopp, it's your shift now."

"Aw, man!"

**-----------------------------------------------------------**

**Hey! Longtime no see! I hope you liked this chapter. I'm sorry for those of you who don't like OC's to have much protagonism, but the Straw Hat crew needed to know what was going on. before they go to save the girls...**

**Some might think that Zoro was not acting as he normally would (not trusting Itami till he proved himself worthy of his trust and all), but it is also true that Zoro can feel when he's being lied to, so I thought he'd realize Itami was being honest with him. Sanji, on the other hand, can't see that as well as the marimo...**

**Reviews are appreciated =)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 21**

Zoro's eyes opened slowly. Yawning widely, the swordsman sat up, blinking away the sleep. He looked around and realized that he was still in the dining room, and that the rest of his nakama were snoring contently all over the place. Usopp was stretched over a small armchair; Franky was missing, which led him to think that he had taken over watch at some point during the night.

As his vision became clearer, he glanced out the window, the sun was about to come out. It was then that he realized he'd missed something.

_Sunrise? Wait, didn't we—oh shit!_

He looked around in alarm, praying to whoever heard him that the redhead was still in the room.

He wasn't.

_That bastard!_

Zoro sprung to his feet, and ran out of the house, thinking the man couldn't have gone too far with the wound on his leg. As he looked around the streets, he realized that he wouldn't be able to spot Itami from where he was, and looked up to the roofs. Without so much as a second thought, he started climbing. _What the hell's Franky doing up there!? He better not be sleeping or I swear I'll—_

His thoughts were interrupted as he reached the top, and he saw the very same man he was looking for, standing straight, and looking at the rising sun. Letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, Zoro hoisted himself on the roof completely and waited in silence, not sure whether to disturb the man. It seemed there was no need to worry.

"You still don't trust me, Roronoa." It wasn't a question, and thus Zoro saw no reason to answer, although he did feel the bitter taste of shame in his mouth at the way the man's voice sounded. Itami didn't look back, taking his silence as an answer, he chuckled, "I don't blame you, really…" he sighed, "I'm not the most trustworthy person in the world...just ask your cook…he doesn't seem to like me much."

The air was filled with silence then, and Zoro felt the need to ask him what he was doing up there at that time of the morning…because it looked like he'd been there for quite some time. Before he could bring it up, however, a loud snore brought his attention towards Franky's sleeping form. Zoro scowled. _He fell asleep, the bastard…_

"Don't blame the cyborg," Itami said good-humoredly, still not looking away from the sun, "He was visibly tired…and I told him that I'd take over watch for him…you'll be happy to know that he didn't trust me much at first."

Zoro glanced back at the redhead, eyes narrowing; the man's voice sounded strained. "And why the hell were you here in the first place? I thought you said you were tired."

It was only then that Itami slowly turned around, looking at Zoro in the eye. The swordsman was slightly taken aback by the exhaustion in the green eyes, outlined by black rings. The man looked completely drained. His face was pale from blood loss and it seemed like it was taking him a great effort not to fall over; an effort that had already been used up to its fullest, apparently.

Zoro's eyes widened as he saw the man collapse, and managed to rush to his side before he crashed against the tiles. It was only then that he noticed the low rasps leaving the man's mouth whenever he breathed out.

"What the hell have you done to yourself…" the swordsman asked gravely as he kneeled, lowering the man slowly on the roof.

"Couldn't sleep," he gasped, "My leg hurt…" he took a deep breath, "And when I closed my eyes…my essence kept taunting me to kill you…it was all images of torture…Kaien—" his words were interrupted by hacking coughs, and Zoro understood that Kaien had sent nightmares to Itami, like he'd done to him once, "When I woke up….the pain in my leg wasn't…enough…" he gasped for air, "I had to get away…hurt myself…again…" the man got another coughing fit, and stopped talking as he tried to get some air back into his lungs.

Raising an eyebrow at the mention of Itami hurting himself again, he looked the man over, and indeed saw a couple more stab wounds in his leg. The one from yesterday was already somewhat infected, and the other two were well on their way. Zoro frowned; amazed at the pain the man had put himself through for their sake.

"Idiot." He growled, "You could've just waked me up," the man's glazed eyes looked up at him in pained surprise, "I would've knocked you out and problem solved."

Itami's head shot back as he started laughing, although he was soon overcome by another coughing attack, and he had to put his hand to his mouth to stop anything from coming out, in a way that reminded Zoro of himself just a couple days ago. "Pity…I would've…asked you…if I'd known you'd be…so willing to help."

"Shut up or I'll leave you here, bastard." Zoro snarled, not finding what was so funny as he picked the man up, earning a pained grunt from the redhead.

"Sorry, sorry…" Itami apologized, his voice strained while a smile still played on his lips.

"Just shut up already," the swordsman growled, "I'll take you to Chopper."

* * *

"Oi, Chopper." The little reindeer rolled around in his sleep as soon as he felt a hand lightly moving his arm, not wanting to wake up just yet. Apparently, the strong hand would not take no for an answer, and continued to shake his shoulder insistently. "Chopper, wake up."

"Huh? Wha?" he finally gave in, opening a big dark eye, glazed over by sleep, and looked up to the owner of the strong hands. "Zowo~," he whined, "Ten more minutes…"

He heard a frustrated sigh, and the strong hands were back again, "You need to check Itami's wounds, Chopper, they're getting infected and he's lost a lot of blood."

The reindeer sprung to his small hooves in alarm, his big wide eyes roaming around the room quickly in search of the redhead. "What?! Where is he?"

Zoro chuckled at the reindeer's antics, and grabbed the doctor by the back of his small shirt as he walked towards the next room. While he hanged in the air, Chopper used that moment to rub his eyes with his small hooves and cast the sleep away. As soon as he was placed on the floor once more, he opened his eyes, and bit back a yell of alarm at the state in which the redhead was in.

"What happened?" he asked worriedly as he hurried to the man's side, checking the infected wound and the two new injuries in the man's leg. "Did you do this?"

"I had to." The man responded with a tired but amused smile, "Sorry, it seems like I'm going to use up a lot more bandages than what was planned."

"It's okay," he smiled before getting into doctor mode, "Now stay quiet, and let me heal you."

Itami raised his eyebrows at the reindeer's firm orders. He glanced over at the swordsman, who just shrugged and smirked as if to say that he was always that way, before turning around to walk away.

"I'll let you handle this then, Chopper," he said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I'll go wake to others."

As expected, the small doctor didn't answer, his mind too focused on the issue at hand, and Zoro felt a smile tugging at his lips as he left the room.

* * *

Sanji awoke to find himself in a situation that he had only dreamed of before. Robin was fast asleep, sitting right next to him, with her head leaning lightly on his shoulder; an open book still lying on her lap. The night before, after deciding that Itami was somewhat reliable, they had all scattered around to sleep. Since they were all way too exhausted to go all the way up the stairs to their rooms; they just looked for a comfy spot to start counting sheep. Of course, being the gentleman that he was, Sanji assured the ladies that they should sleep on the two small sofas while he sat down against the wall, keeping an eye on the redhead, who had sat down at the other side of the room, where nobody dared to sit.

_As his eyes stared at the sleeping man with suspicion, he was startled as he felt someone sit next to him. He was even more surprised, however, when it turned out to be no other than the lovely archeologist, smiling warmly at him as she leaned against the wall and opened her book._

"_I hope you don't mind my company, Cook-san." Her smile made obvious that she already knew his answer._

"_Oh, never, Robin-chan," his smile was sincere, if slightly small because of exhaustion._

_Robin's blue eyes glistened with something akin to amusement and affection as she turned back to her book; and Sanji took a last glance at her before turning his eyes back to the fast asleep redhead. It seemed he was really asleep, although the way he winced every few moments made him think that the man was not having the best dreams. _Maybe it's the leg…

_Not giving much thought to it, and deciding that he should not care whether that bastard had sweet dreams or not, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. At some point, when he was about to doze off, he felt a light weight on his shoulder, and he opened his dark blue eye just enough to see that Robin had fallen asleep. Normally, he would've rejoiced and turned into ero-mode…but he was just so tired that he couldn't do much other than smile._

Smiling at the memories from the night before, Sanji looked down at Robin, who was still peacefully sleeping; her chest rising and falling with a soothing effect that made the cook relax and lean his head back against the wall. As he sat there, he took a chance to look around the room.

Luffy and Vivi were cuddling together like a pair of kittens on one the sofas. The teens looked so sweet and innocent in their sleep that Sanji didn't have the heart to be mad at Luffy for being so close to his Vivi-chwan. The boy's face was covered by his hat, and one of his hands hanged over the edge of the sofa while the other lay lightly on Vivi's back. The princess's head was lying comfortably on the captain's chest, rising and falling along with the boy's breathing. One of her hands was next to her face, on the young man's chest, as though making sure he was still there with her. Sanji smiled warmly at the young couple, and his eyes moved over to the snoring men that slept about five feet away from the sofa.

Brook and Usopp slept noisily and completely dead to the world. By the way they were entangled; Sanji had to wonder how they could sleep at all. Usopp's nose was bent against the ground, one of his feet raised up, leaning on the closest armchair; his arms were stretched at either of his body, as though the boy had just thrown himself from the armchair on purpose. Brook's was just a pile of bones laying over Usopp, who didn't seem to notice the extra weight (although it's not like Brook was really heavy). His bony arms and legs were all over the place, stretched and bent in directions that should _not_ by any means be comfortable. Sanji shook his head at their nakama's antics. It seemed like Franky, who was usually part of this tangle of limbs, was still on watch. The cyborg had completely healed soon after Zoro, Luffy and Sanji himself had found him on the road. The thought made Sanji think of the redhead, and his eyes turned towards the spot the man had occupied when he fell asleep.

His eyes widened in alarm as he noticed the man was missing. His head turned in all directions, trying to see if he'd moved at some point during the night.

Nothing.

Could he have betrayed them after all?

_I knew it!_

He hadn't taken anyone else, had he? It was then that the cook noticed that the swordsman was missing, and he felt dread forming at the bottom of his stomach. Hadn't the redhead said that Kaien wanted Zoro? Another glance and he noticed that Chopper was also missing.

_Shit!_

Taking care not to awake Robin, he lowered the archeologist down on the floor, so that she could continue sleeping. She must have been tired, because she didn't even flinch or writhe around. Satisfied with his work, Sanji burst out of the room and out of the house; the sun had just come out from behind the mountains. He could only hope they hadn't gotten too far.

"Marimo!!" he yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth, hoping that the swordsman was still close enough to answer, "Zoro!!"

"What the hell is your problem, cook?" The blonde all but jumped out of his skin as he heard the swordsman's deep voice from behind him. Alarmed, he turned around, his heart still beating too fast and his breathing still ragged at the scare.

"Z-zoro!" he pointed at the first mate in awe and confusion, "You're still here!"

Zoro raised an eyebrow at the cook's odd behavior. "Was I supposed to be anywhere else?"

Sanji gawked at the swordsman, his mind momentarily left in a complete blank. When he noticed the amused smirk on Zoro's mouth, however, he shook his head quickly and scowled. "Wh-what are you doing out here, marimo? Where's the redheaded shithead?"

It then dawned on the swordsman that the cook had been worried that Itami had betrayed them, just like he had only ten minutes earlier. What amused him the most, however, was the fact that the blonde had actually worried about him. A wolfish grin spread across his face as he saw Sanji shake with anger and embarrassment, "Oh? Were you worried, shitty cook?"

"LIKE HELL I WAS!!" Sanji snapped, sinking further into humiliation as the swordsman started laughing. "What's so funny, shit swordsman?" He hissed dangerously. Zoro could've sworn that there was smoke coming out of his ears.

"Nothing, nothing," he chuckled, "The _redheaded shithead_ is inside, by the way, he's being checked over by Chopper." His expression went back to normal then, "It seems he had to stab himself a couple times tonight to keep himself under control…he lost a lot of blood."

"Well he better get well enough to guide us, or I swear I'll shove him in the oven and roast him slowly until there's nothing left but ashes…" Sanji growled darkly.

Zoro stared at him, unblinkingly and the cook suddenly felt uncomfortable under the swordsman's scrutinizing stare.

"What?" he snapped.

"…You can be fucking weird sometimes, you know that?" He said, shaking his head.

"What was that, asshole?!" He could feel something exploding in his head as the green haired man turned around to get back in the house.

"If you keep saying stuff like that, Usopp will think you're into cannibalism or something." Zoro said with a bored tone, walking away from the cook. "I don't think even Robin's _that_ dark. What would she think of you, ero-cook?" If Sanji had paid attention, he would have probably heard the smirk in his voice.

"C-cannibalism? Robin-chan?" Sanji gaped as he saw the swordsman walk in; it was only then that he realized that Zoro was only messing with him, "Hey! Come back here, you bastard!!"

"Let's go, cook." He heard from inside, "We have to wake the others. It's time."

"Don't change subject now, asshole!" the cook snarled as he ran back inside.

* * *

"Okay, then!" Luffy yelled in excitement as he swung a backpack over his shoulder, "Are we all ready to go?"

"Hai!" Vivi chirped, beside him, "Are we leaving now, then?"

"Y-y-y-y-you guys go ahead," Usopp stammered, his knees shaking with fear as he tiptoed back towards the house, "I'll be right b-b-behind you."

"Don't even think about it, longnose!" Sanji growled, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and dragging him back towards the group. "Nami-san and Iryann-chan are waiting for us!"

"Yohohohohoho! Usopp-san! It seems you have no option but to accompany us!"

"Although there's a 90% probability that you'll get killed." Robin said bluntly.

"Oi! Nico Robin! Don't be so morbid!" Franky yelled from behind the swordsman, who was smirking at the woman's dark humor.

"Oh my, it seems Usopp-san just dropped dead." Brook announced calmly, staring at the fallen body of the sniper, who was muttering repeatedly about _Kaien's cave, scary, Kaien's cave, scary_.

"Same goes for you, skeleton!!" the cyborg pushed his sunglasses to his brow, glaring at Brook as the skeleton sipped his tea serenely.

"Come on, Usopp!" Luffy's arm wrapped itself around the sniper, and brought him back to his feet, "Pull yourself together!" the captain chirped between laughs. "We have to leave as soon as possible!"

"Speaking of leaving," Sanji started, "Where's our shitty-guide?"

"Sorry for the delay~!" Itami walked out of the house with his usual smile. He was limping, but it was barely noticeable. The little reindeer, however, didn't think seem to share his opinion.

"Itami!!" he yelled after him waving a wooden cane, "Use the crutch!!!"

"Don't wanna~!" the redhead replied cheerily, ignoring the indignant screams of the little doctor. As he walked to the head of the group, he turned to them and smiled, "Are we ready to go, then?"

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered, "Nami, Iryann, here we come!!!"

"Yosha!!" the crew chorused.

* * *

"My, my," A dark voice echoed along the dripping walls, "It seems like Itami really did go to Straw Hat, after all…That was not quite what I expected…" His eyes turned to the two women at the other side of the cave. Their feet were chained to the wall, but otherwise they didn't seem to be harmed. Golden orbs moved back to the black pond as the images on the surface changed. "It seems as though the time has come for me to use her…She came in handy after all..."

A dark laugh reverberated against the wet walls; and Iryann and Nami curled up further into themselves, hoping to keep their bodies from shaking.

**------------------------------**

**Yo! To the ones that were expecting a battle, or at least some angst...I'm sorry!! **

**I'm not really sure how to go at it, although I have some ideas, I'm just going to need some time to put them together... T-T (I promise I'll have something akin to a battle scene in the next chapter)**

**Even so, I hope you liked the chapter! ^^**

**Please R&R =)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 22**

"Okay, are you guys ready?" Everyone nodded silently to Itami, who was giving his back to the entrance to Kaien's cave, "Remember the plan." With that said, the redhead turned around and started walking furtively from the darkness of the forest towards the bushes near entrance, the crew following close behind.

When they had reached the island earlier that day, Itami had been surprised at the change in everyone's attitude. The captain was unusually serious, along with the young furry doctor…even the cowardly sniper seemed to have forgotten his fears as he explained to them what they were about to do. The cook seemed to actually trust him now, and that smart archeologist had apparently concluded that he was talking the truth. The cyborg had showed quite a lot of trust in him from the very beginning, for reasons Itami failed to understand, and the skeleton had immediately taken a liking of him…once again, for reasons the redhead just couldn't understand. As for the blue haired princess, not only had she trusted him fully, but she had also shown concern over his injuries, and had often smiled at him when they talked. The swordsman was certainly an interesting guy; he'd been able to see right through Itami's mocking smile from the start, and had known immediately that he was honestly trying to help them, thing that he had not expected at all. The redhead was very conscious that, had he not had the swordsman's trust from the very beginning, the rest of the crew wouldn't even have thought of relying him; a fact that he found quite fascinating, seeing as the crew seemed to put as much trust on Roronoa as they did on their captain. _Quite an interesting crew…_

Bringing his mind back to the present, Itami reached the wall next to the gate, listening for the change in guard, which he knew should take place in less than five minutes. Keeping his back as close to the rocky wall as possible, he glanced back to check on the pirates, and found them all waiting quietly for his signal from the bushes. Roronoa was in the front with the Straw Hat boy, and it could be said that they both practically shared the same look in their eyes. Itami smiled and turned his eyes towards the gate once more. It seemed like the next shift had just started, and the redhead closed his eyes and listened carefully as the steps of the former guards faded in the distance until they disappeared completely. Once he was sure that they were gone, he took a deep breath and stepped back, going through the bushes, past the pirate crew, hiding himself in the protection of the forest as he then walked into the path that lead to the gate; making it appear as though he had been walking the road the whole time.

The night was dark, and the guards didn't notice him until he was merely ten feet away from him, so silent was the redhead's walk. They straightened their backs immediately, and put on their darkest glare in an attempt to induce fear in the heart of the intruder. Itami smirked.

"Evening, boys!" He called, waving a hand amicably. "How's it going? I hope you weren't slacking, Kaien-sama would not like that."

The guards' shoulders relaxed as soon as they recognized the redhead's voice, and put on a scowl as the man walked up to where they stood.

"Kashaku, haven't seen ya in a while," one of the guards grunted with an unfriendly voice, eying the redhead with suspicion, "I didn't know Kaien-sama had given you any new orders."

"Oh, you know me," Itami responded easily, "I like to take walks once in a while, it can get really humid in those caves."

"Really?" the other guard asked skeptically, "That's odd, 'cuz I heard some interestin' rumors from Shachi n' Ozo."

"Is that so?" The redhead's voice never wavered, "And what might those be?"

"Apparently," A disgusting toothless grin spread across the man's face, "Kashaku Itami fled the caves not but two nights ago like a scared lil' girl, and is not to be welcomed in Kaien-sama's lair no more." The smile of satisfaction that both guards showed made it obvious that they thought they had caught Itami in the act, and as they reached for their spears, Itami sighed dramatically.

"How disappointing," he said with fake sadness, "And I thought we were friends…"

"Dream on, Kashaku," the first guard laughed, "Ya have no friends, much less in this shithole."

A feral grin spread on the redhead's face, so deadly that the sniper and the doctor hidden in the bushes could feel a chill running up their spines.

"Well that should certainly make things easier." The promise of death dripped from every word, and both guards suddenly felt the urge to run away as their hands started shaking with fear. "Farewell then."

The guards gasped as a pair of blood-red eyes pierced right through them. They didn't have time to run, they didn't have time to close their eyes…they didn't even have time to scream. In two seconds, they were both collapsing on the floor, an expression of horror forever engraved in their lifeless eyes.

Once the men were dead on the ground, Itami glanced down at them, letting his eyes turn green once more. When he heard the shuffling of leaves, he turned his head to look at the slowly approaching crew. Vivi and the younger ones were a little shaken, having apparently forgotten that Itami was indeed a killer. The cyborg and the skeleton were silent, not looking at the man in the eye. The swordsman, the archeologist and the cook's faces were impassive, understanding there was nothing he could have done without risking the guards giving off the alarm. Their captain, however, wore a different expression that got Itami's interest, he was frowning slightly, and when he met his black stare, the redhead could've sworn he saw disappointment in his eyes.

"Did you really have to kill them?" Itami raised his eyebrows at the unexpected question. _Is this really coming from a pirate captain? His bounty is 300,000,000 Beri for God's sake._ Monkey D. Luffy was certainly one of a kind. How a man could be so strong and still have a kind heart was a mystery to the redhead.

"I'm sorry," he said, "But I couldn't risk them giving off the alarm, and if they were to wake up before we came out…it could get more difficult." He scowled slightly at the bodies on the ground, "Besides, these guys were assholes to begin with, they wouldn't be here if they were _good_ people at all."

Luffy sighed, and his expression was shaded by his straw hat for a moment before he looked up to the redhead once more, "Is this the only way you attack?"

Itami smiled, "Nope!" the look on the others' faces almost made him want to laugh, "I normally use a sword unless there's no choice but to use my powers, I just forgot it inside the cave. I was thinking of getting it right now," he chuckled, "So don't worry, I won't be going on a killing spree when we break in."

The young raven gave him one of his face-splitting smiles, "Okay!"

"Are we really just going to break in, then?" the cook asked as he lit a cigarette (since Itami had made him wait until he knocked out the guards…or killed them).

"Pretty much," The redhead scratched his head sheepishly, "Kaien already knows we're here, so there's really no point in trying to be too sneaky. I just didn't want to have all the infantry on us as soon as we came in…"

"We should get going then," Zoro had a feral smile on his face as he tied his bandana around his forehead and unsheathed his swords, "I can't wait to kick some ass."

"That'd be my line, marimo." Sanji smirked, tapping the front of his shoes on the dirt.

"Alright then," Itami grinned, "Follow me."

He was met with demonic smiles and confident smirks, and with determined nods…and shaking knees. The redhead took off running through the gates without giving the others much time to reconsider what they were getting into, and so, Usopp forced himself to swallow his fear as he unstrapped his giant slingshot from his back, and ran after his friends.

The Straw Hat pirates and their guide lost themselves in the dark, unbeknownst to the many of Kaien's minions, who were just wandering around the tunnels, oblivious to the heavy beating that was quickly coming their way.

* * *

"I can't believe it!" an extremely amused voice laughed, "He actually brought them here!" Kaien looked back to his two prisoners, and the chains that held them levitated towards him, bringing them along. "Here! Take a look."

Nami stared at the surface of the pond, relieved and worried at the same time. Relieved because they had really come to save them, worried because she knew what awaited them here. _God, Zoro, you should've stayed…don't you know what he's trying to do to you?_ Her eyes moved towards the redhead that led them. It seemed like he had actually kept his word. _Why? He could've just run away…_

"Fools." Kaien chuckled, "They don't realize how helpless they're going to be as soon as they get here…" he grabbed Nami's chin and forced her to look at him in the eye, "As long as I have you, Roronoa will do whatever I want…and then I will have the greatest power on the face of the Earth."

The navigator would have yelled, screamed, spit, snarled, hissed…anything! But their mouths were still sealed by those black tentacles; so all she could really do was glare at the white man…and hope his head caught on fire. When he smirked at her anger, Nami started to squirm, trying for dear life to get a hold of the man's neck and strangle him to death.

"Don't worry, darling," he said with fake warmth, "You're not the only one I'm going to use…" his golden eyes stared back at the pond, which made Nami follow his gaze. The image was focused on the leading redhead, whose green eyes seemed to shine in the darkness, "If Itami decides to use his power against me, it could get troublesome…which is why I will have to use my trump card." He chuckled, and at Nami's questioning look, he put on a pensive pose, "How do you think he'll react when he finds out that the love of his life…who he had thought dead for five long years…is actually alive?"

Nami's eyes widened. Damn how she wished she could have her mouth available right then! The man was a heartless monster! Her frustration and helplessness got a hold of her, and she started feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. Just the mere thought of how cruel this man could be…how he could play with people's hearts for his own amusement…how he could steal people's souls for his own power…Nami clenched her eyes closed, _Zoro, this man is really going to kill you…please stay away!_

* * *

"Oi Itami!" The swordsman roared as he cut his way through a crowd of Kaien's minions, the fact that the tunnels didn't leave much space for evading such nuisances made his mood seriously decrease, "Are you sure this is the right way!?"

Itami brought down his red sword. It looked like an Arab Scimitar, with a blood-red blade and a golden hilt adorned with a snake made of small rubies, and had a finely cut emerald for an eye. As much as Zoro hated to admit it…it was a beautiful sword. And her master was quite dexterous too, he mused, as he watched him move gracefully (despite his injuries) from enemy to enemy, dancing to an inaudible melody of slaughter. When this was over, he would make sure to ask the man for a sparring session.

The redhead turned towards him and smirked, "I believe I'm not the one with a bad sense of direction here, Roronoa," the swordsman scowled, "I've lived here for almost a year. I know where I'm going."

"He's actually right, marimo," came the mocking voice of the cook from some feet behind the green haired man.

"Shut up, shit-cook!"

"Anyway," Luffy said as he smashed a dozen of the weak guards against the wall with an overstretched arm, "Let's hurry!"

"Roger!"

The crew kept running, occasionally bumping into some unlucky guards, and followed Itami straight down the same tunnel for what felt like hours.

"Redhead-san," Robin asked, already starting to feel out of breath after running for so long, "How long until we reach Kaien's cave?"

"Not long, actually," he spoke good-humoredly, it was amazing how he could run with those stab wounds on his leg, "This is our exit." And he made a sharp turn to the right into a narrow corridor, making the crew's feet scratch against the ground as they tried to follow.

"How do you know where you're going?" Chopper wondered out loud as he ran along the others in his Walking Point, "They all look the same!"

"I've gotten lost here way too many times for me not to memorize this place like the back of my hand." he laughed. The crew followed the crazy man in silence, sensing the dark aura they were approaching. They could now see the end of the tunnel, and Itami's fake happiness was now completely gone. "This is it."

Zoro's eyes narrowed with determination. _Hold on, Nami, Iryann… I'm coming to get you_.

* * *

Before they knew it, they had entered a wide cavern, with the sound of dripping water and the echo of the wind making the silence surrounding them irrationally eerie.

A cold laugh reverberated through the walls, making a chill run up the crew's spine.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't the infamous Straw Hat Crew…and my little traitor…" Zoro's eyes roamed through the darkness, the cold voice was coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time, and it was driving him nuts! _Where the hell is he!?_

Suddenly, Chopper screamed, and the whole crew turned towards him in alarm, he was shaking with fear, pointing one hoof at the center of the room. As their eyes followed his outstretched arm, they could feel the color drain from their faces.

In the middle of the room, a completely white man sat on a stone throne. His skin looked like marble, and his hair was pearly white. His eyes bore into them like those of a predator, golden like those of a hungry falcon and cold like those of the deadliest snake. But it was not the man that made a gasp leave their throats.

At Kaien's feet, at each side of his throne, Nami and Iryann lay on their knees. They looked scared and shaken, and their ankles were strongly bound to the magnificent chair, preventing them from running towards their nakama. Their mouths were covered by something black that they could not discern from where they stood, and it looked like they were trying to warn them of something.

"Welcome to my humble abode." The white man's feral smile made dread form at the pits of their stomachs as they prepared for what was sure to be a rough battle.

**-------------------------**

**Hai, hai! This is the beginning of the Straw Hats' confrontation with Kaien!!**

**I'm sorry it was kinda short, I just want to prevent cutting off the fight at any unnecessary points.**

**Anyways, I hope you like it! ^^**

**And reviews are greatly appreciated =)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 23**

"Nami!! Iryann!!" Luffy's yell echoed throughout the cave as he took on the tears falling down the girls' cheeks. The boy's pupils contracted, and the expression in his face darkened to that of mad man, his knuckles cracked as he glared at the white man with frightening wrath, "You made them cry." And it seemed like Luffy's kindness had disappeared from his heart at that moment, and he only had one thought in mind. _Kick that bastard's ass_.

"My, my," the man was not fazed in the least, "What a scary face, Straw Hat, and here I was thinking you were just a childish fool," the man's smile turned feral and sadistic, "I like those eyes."

"Straw Hat!" Itami tried to bring the boy down from his wrath, "Don't lose it! You're doing exactly what he wants!"

"That bastard's going to pay!" Luffy's yell of anger reverberated against the walls as he lunged towards the man sitting calmly on his throne, pulling his fist back in anger.

"That's right, Straw Hat, come and kill me," his eerie smile never left his face as he waited for the angry boy, "You know you want to." His golden eyes started glowing as he saw Luffy approach with blind rage.

"Luffy you idiot!!" Sanji roared as he noticed the darkness surrounding the man, "You're falling right into it!!"

"Gomu gomu noooo!!" Luffy became deaf to his nakama's advice as his arm stretched behind him. However, before he could finish his attack, a crushing force hit his side, and the next thing he knew, he was slammed against a wall. Yelling in outrage, he raised his eyes to see who was behind this, but his wrath deflated from his body as he realized who was standing over him.

"Z-zoro." His first mate was glaring down at him; breathing heavily at the strength it had taken him to stop his attack.

"What the hell, Luffy, are you trying to get killed?" the swordsman growled as he moved out of the way. Luffy looked up at him in anger, but as his first mate moved, he was able to see what he had just prevented from happening. At the spot where he had just been seconds ago, there were no less than ten black stakes embedded into the rock soil. He hadn't seen them coming, he had been so blinded by rage that he hadn't felt the attack that was about to hit him. If it hadn't been for Zoro, he would've been hit for sure.

The young captain clenched his jaw and stood up; he needed to be more careful. As he walked back towards his nakama, not taking his eyes from the white man, he took a few seconds to meet the gaze of his friends. "Sorry, guys, I lost it."

"No problem, captain." Sanji said with his cigarette hanging from his lips as he too kept his eyes on the white man, "Just stop being so reckless…this guy's obviously not going to play nice."

Luffy nodded solemnly, and the crew awaited Kaien's next move.

The man sighed, "How disappointing, and here I was hoping I'd be able to take you out quickly, Straw Hat," his predator golden eyes glanced on the green haired swordsman, who was snarling at him with his eyes half shaded by the black bandanna, "I guess your loyal first mate here won't let me have fun." His smile was twisted, and Zoro's eyes narrowed at the man's chuckle, "I can't get over all the things you do for your captain, Roronoa, I find it fascinating."

Zoro glared heatedly at the man. _He better not say anything about that…_He knew Luffy was looking at him, but he did not glance back.

The raven boy frowned at the man's words. _What does he mean by that?_ He glanced at Zoro, whose dark glare was pointedly digging holes into Kaien's head, _Zoro's always like that…but why does it sound like he's talking about something I don't know? What does he know about Zoro? _The image of his first mate after the ordeal in Thriller Bark crossed his mind for a second, and his eyes narrowed at the thought. Any other musings, however, were kindly interrupted by the cook of the crew.

"Luffy." He looked at the blonde, who was glaring at the white man with disgust, "Don't listen to that asshole, he's trying to confuse you, just focus on the fight." The boy nodded, and went back to his fighting stance. Sanji glanced at him from the corner of his visible eye, _That Kaien bastard better not be planning to use that on Luffy._

"Well, since Mr. First Mate here won't let me have fun with his captain, how about I have some fun with you?" The crew tensed as the man's voice echoed through the darkness of the room, "An old acquaintance of yours just happens to be around, how about a little spar for old times' sake?"

A heavy wind blew around the cave, so strong that the Straw Hats had to cover their eyes. Suddenly, the wind was gone, but it had left something in its stead.

A man stood in the middle of their group, making them retreat with alarm, unable to keep their formation. He was tall and lean, with raven black hair that reached just above his shoulders. He wore a long black coat with no sleeves, which was opened at the front, showing the man's toned torso. His pants were also black and they reached to his knees, followed by knee length black boots. The only thing that was not black was his waist band, which was stark white.

"You remember Datte, don't you Roronoa?" the crew's eyes widened as Kaien said his name. This was the man they'd been looking for?

Iryann felt tears roll down her cheeks as she watched the man in the center of the cave. She couldn't take her eyes from him. Even when she knew he was not the same.

"Datte," Kaien sounded extremely amused, "How about you welcome your old friend?"

Datte then looked at the swordsman, and Zoro frowned as he took on his friend's eyes. The knowing silver irises were now a dead golden color, and the white of his eyes was completely black. Datte's eyes had always given the man's emotions away…but there was no emotion in those eyes. _What the hell have they done to you?_

"Datte," Zoro started as he put his white katana in his mouth and he drew his swords in a fighting stance, "I don't know what that bastard's done to you, but I promised Iryann I would get you back." His eyes appeared to be demonic under the bandanna, "And if that means I'll have to defeat you, then so be it." His dark eyes met his captain's for a moment, "Luffy, don't you dare interfere."

The dark haired man's eyes remained impassive as he waited with his back straight, not seeming to take a fighting stance. Kaien's eyes shined with interest as he saw the stance that Zoro took, and the dark aura that had started to gather around the swordsman.

Zoro was bent over, Sandai and Shuusui raised vertically above him, and Wado making a right angle with the floor. As Zoro's haki turned heavier, a ringing sound filled the cave, and the swords appeared to undulate as the sound got louder. Kaien leaned forward in his seat with excitement, while Iryann's eyes widened as she witnessed the swordsman's dark technique. Datte watched, not fazed by the dark haki surrounding his opponent.

As the eerie ringing sound got louder, Itami gaped when he saw a black ghost, a death god, hovering above the first mate, spreading threateningly over him. Zoro looked up, and his eyes were as deadly as those of the creature above him.

"Enbima Yonezu!" his deep voice echoed within the darkness as he lunged forward, the sheer force of his attack making deep cuts in the ground and the cave's ceiling, "Oni Giri!

The cave burst with energy and debris, and the crew covered their eyes with their arms as they waited for the dust to clear off. Sanji stared intently into the cloud; _He should've done some damage with that attack…right?_ As the dust started to fade, he couldn't help but to take a step forward. _Come on, marimo!_

Nami's eyes couldn't be wider, she couldn't see anything! _Zoro, you better have cut that guy or I swear I'll raise your debt by 100,000,000 beri!! _She could distinguish two figures in the fog, and as she narrowed here eyes, trying to get a better view of what was going on, her eyes widened once more.

Zoro and Datte were about ten feet from each other, their backs to one another. Nothing seemed to have happened, but suddenly, the swordsman grunted as his knees failed him momentarily before he managed to keep his feet under him.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled as he saw his first mate clutching his arm, wincing as he saw blood trickling all the way down to the man's hand…apparently, his left arm's nerves had been sliced, _But how? He doesn't even have a sword!_ The raven looked at Datte, who seemed to have suffered some injuries too, and had an ugly cut across his stomach, he was amazed at seeing the man did not appear to feel pain, however, as his expression was just as impassive as before.

Zoro took his bandanna off with his uninjured arm, and managed to tie it as tightly as he could around the wound with only one arm. He hissed at the pain that his severed nerves inflicted him, but he didn't stop until he felt his arm go slightly numb. With that done, he tried to move his left arm, and wincing slightly, deemed it good enough to fight with. He turned to face his friend, and once again frowned at the sight of those inert golden eyes. Datte's wound was bleeding profusely, and it had already tinted his white waist band with the crimson red of his blood. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes before opening them slowly. Taking a fighting stance once more, he waited until his saw Datte put a foot in front of the other, so as to make sure his friend was ready.

The swordsman lunged towards his old friend, and as they clashed, the crew was able to see how Datte countered Zoro's attacks. As the man moved, it seemed like the wind danced along with him, as sharp and deadly as any of Zoro's katana. The first mate's swords were met with invisible blasts of wind. The fight was very much even, and there seemed to be no winner or loser as they just went on and on against each other. Sharp blades sliced at one's skin just as swift gusts of wind slashed at the other; and at that moment, it seemed as though the fight would never end…unless one of them dropped dead on the floor.

Iryann closed her hands in a fist. _They're going to kill each other!_ She couldn't have felt more helpless as she watched her two oldest friends fight. She heard a low chuckled beside her, and she looked up to see that Kaien's golden eyes were staring at here in amusement. She glared at him with as much hatred as she could muster, and the man's smile just grew wider.

"You know," he said, low enough that only she could hear him, "At this rate, they're just going to kill each other…but I suppose you already know that, don't you?" his eyes went back to the two fighters, and she couldn't help but to follow his gaze.

They had stopped, and were facing each other from the distance, preparing for what they hoped would be the decisive attack of the fight. Datte's body was covered in cuts and blood, and it seemed as though, even though his face still showed no emotion, the blood loss was taking a toll on his body, as his breathing had become ragged and his shoulders hang heavily. Zoro was in no better condition; his left arm sagged useless at his side, the bandanna tied around the wound already completely soaked with his blood, he had an ugly cut in his forehead, which made blood trickle down the right side of his face making him look even more demonic. His torso was covered in slashes, and he had a particularly deep cut in his right thigh. Neither of the two men would last long if the fight continued like this.

Luffy watched as the fighters prepared for the final attack with a frown. He knew where this fight was leading to, and he didn't like it one bit. But Zoro had told him to stay out, and as captain he had to grant his nakama that much. Chopper was biting his lip, holding onto Vivi's leg for dear life as he fought against the desire to jump in and cure the swordsman, and the princess seemed just as horrified as he was. Franky and Brook watched helplessly as their nakama fought to death against an old friend, wanting to help but knowing their captain wouldn't allow it. Usopp's hand was itching to just shoot one of his darts towards Datte, so that the fight could be over and he didn't have to watch his friend bleeding to death in front of his eyes.

Sanji clenched his teeth so hard that the cigarette in his mouth was almost split in half, what the hell was the marimo thinking? why didn't he just use his attack of Asura and be done with it? But as much as the cook hated it, he knew his friend would not risk killing the man he's promised to bring back. _Shitty marimo and his shitty promises_. Robin was frowning, something was off, she glanced at Kaien, who was watching the two fighters with amusement, and she knew there had to be a trick. _He needs Datte's and Zoro's essences…so he can't risk letting them kill each other off; he needs them alive._ Her eyes went back to her friend and the man they'd come to retrieve. _But what's he waiting for?_

Itami's eyes never left Kaien. _Just what are you planning, Kaien?_

Similar thoughts went through the orange haired navigator as she glanced at the exhausted swordsman with worry. _He kept saying he wanted Zoro's essence, but he's not doing anything to stop them? What the hell's this guy thinking? _She winced as she saw Zoro cough out blood, while Datte swayed slightly to his side before managing to keep his balance. He stole a glance from Iryann, and frowned when she took on the expression on the blonde's face.

Iryann wriggled to get out of her boundaries, if she could just try to stop them! "It would be a pity if they ended up killing each other," she raised her eyes to look at the white man, who was watching the warriors with fake sadness, "Datte's curse is about to wear off…" he mused aloud, making Iryann's eyes widen as she stared back at Datte, "What do you think he will feel when he realizes he's killed his childhood friend?" Kaien waved a hand in the air, and the blonde wanted to scream when she realized the change in the raven man. Datte was suddenly standing straight, and his eyes seemed to shine with renewed energy. Iryann knew that it was the strength that Zoro lacked at the moment, and that it was the only thing he needed to kill him. "I wonder if anyone could prevent Datte from doing such a thing…"

Suddenly, Iryann felt as her boundaries disappeared, and she was free to move once again. However, she couldn't stop to give much thought to it as Zoro and Datte lunged towards each other in what was sure to be the final point of the battle.

Iryann ran.

She didn't hear the yells of her friends; she didn't see the tears in Nami's eyes as she tried to scream but couldn't; she didn't even see the look of horror that seemed to cross the swordsman's eyes as she ran between towards them. Iryann closed her eyes…and ran.

She couldn't see.

She couldn't hear.

She just ran.

The final clash echoed through the cavern, making the walls shake, and debris fall from the ceiling, covering the cavern with a new cloud of dust.

"IRYANN!!"


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 24**

The dust was clearing, and all the crew stepped forward in worry, waiting to see what had happened.

Sanji's cigarette had fallen when he had yelled at Iryann, and he was now clenching his teeth in anger. _I could've stopped her! She just ran right in the middle and we couldn't even stop her before she reached them! What the hell is wrong with me!?_ Three figures were now visible in the fog, and Sanji stepped forward once more. _I swear if she's hurt I will kill that white bastard_.

However, as the three figures finally came to view, Sanji's rage was substituted by horror.

They weren't moving.

Zoro's eyes couldn't have been wider as he stared at the petite body standing in front of him, his expression was one of shock and panic, but he couldn't seem to make a move. Datte seemed just as paralyzed as he was, staring at the girl with his black and gold eyes just as wide as the swordsman; he seemed shocked…and confused…his hands were wet with fresh blood.

Iryann stood between them, shuddering. She was facing Datte and giving her back to the swordsman, in an obvious attempt to protect him from the cursed man. Her balance wavered slightly, and she coughed out blood. There was a huge slash across her stomach, and the blood just wouldn't stop gushing out, splashing against the ground. And yet…

She was smiling.

Datte's eyes never left those of the girl, staring at her in horrified confusion. _Wh-who is she?_ The blackness in his eyes started fading, and black tears rolled down his cheeks as his eyes were cleansed and turned to white once more. His dead gold irises slowly changed to a light shade of silver.

And then he recognized her.

Dread filled every ounce of his being as he stepped towards the girl. "I-Iryann?" He raised a hand to touch her, trying to make sure that she was real, that this was not Kaien trying to mess with his head once again. But before he could even reach her, she started collapsing, and his body moved immediately to catch her. He looked down at her…she was staring at him. Her eyes barely held any trace of consciousness, but she was still smiling.

"Idiot." She whispered, "It's finally…you…" a tear rolled down the girl's cheek as she closed her eyes and finally lost consciousness.

Datte's eyes were wide. His pupils dilated with panic as he realized what he had done. He glanced down towards his hands…red with blood…with _her_ blood. He started shaking as he pressed her to his chest, his legs finally giving out; he let himself fall to his knees. A strangled sob made its way out of his throat, and he held her closer to him, hiding his eyes in her hair. "I'm so sorry."

Zoro's swords fell to the ground. His eyes glued to the puddle of blood that had started to spread around the blonde. He felt completely useless. He felt he wasn't strong enough. He'd been protected by one of the people he'd come to save. _What the hell is that!? _He closed his eyes in anger and frustration. _I'm weak._

Luffy's eyes couldn't have been wider. His pupils had contracted in anger and horror. _What am I here for!? I just let her get in the middle and did nothing!!_ He then remembered the man behind this, and his eyes darted towards Kaien, who was watching the scene with a satisfied smile on his face. He felt anger boiling inside of him, and his knuckles cracked at the strength with which he closed his fists. _That bastard!_

"My, my…what an unexpected turn of events…" the raven really felt like crushing the man's skull in tiny pieces right now, "I wonder how she managed to unchain herself…" _That is it! _Luffy gave a step forward, but he was stopped before he could carry out his intentions. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he glanced behind, startled at the person that he found.

Itami was looking at him with a seriousness in his green eyes that he had not seen before. It was telling him to calm down, keep himself together…and look at his surroundings.

Chopper was being held by Vivi, both of them having their eyes tightly closed, afraid to see what had happened to their friend. Franky looked like he was ready to punch down a building, and Brook was straight and tense in all his height. Usopp's slingshot was shaking in his hands, his pupils dilated with horror as he took on what had happened. Robin was biting her lip, and trying to keep her cool. He glanced at Nami, who was clenching her eyes shut and seemed to be highly frustrated at not being able to move. Luffy could see the tears on her face. They had to keep calm. If they did anything stupid out of anger, they would only be falling further into Kaien's trap.

Luffy heard the clicking sound of a lighter, and he looked towards Sanji. His hands were shaking. He was trying to keep calm but was failing miserably at doing so. His teeth were clenched in suppressed anger, and his shoulders and legs were too tense for the captain's liking.

"Sanji." He called, trying to bring the cook's attention towards him. It wasn't working, the cook had finally managed to light his cigarette, but he was just as tense as before. "Oi, Sanji, calm down."

It was too late. Sanji's last ounce of sense broke down and he lunged towards Kaien at full speed, barely distinguishable against the black rock of the cave. With a yell of rage, he dove directly towards the white man.

"Sanji!!" Luffy started running behind him, trying to prevent the cook from committing his same mistake.

The crew looked up in horror to watch the cook bringing his leg down on the white man in a powerful attack, only to be shoved to the side by a dark claw that materialized over Kaien, and be smashed with a painful crushing sound against the wall.

"SANJI!!"

The cook cursed as he coughed out blood and struggled to raise himself back up. "Shit!" Again he tried to stand up, and managed to slowly push himself off the wall and back on his feet.

"Cook! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Zoro roared from where he was kneeling, breathing heavily as he tried to pick up his swords. "If you act on your own, we will all get killed! Remember Shabondy Archipelago!"

Sanji snarled back, "Shut the fuck up, marimo."

"Sanji, Zoro." Both men turned towards their captain, whose eyes were now shaded by his straw hat. "Let's work together."

"I'll help too." Datte was back on his feet, and was leaving Iryann at the care of Chopper and Vivi, who had retreated to one of the walls closest to the entrance.

Luffy nodded and turned towards Itami, who nodded as his eyes turned red, "Let's do this."

All five men were now lined up in front of Kaien, their heads raised and their eyes full of determination. The white man smirked at the sight.

"How endearing," he snorted, "But what makes you think I'm going to let you have your way?" He snapped his fingers, and two others gates were opened immediately, revealing hundreds of Kaien's minions just waiting to get in their way and prevent them from reaching their target. "Get them." The men immediately burst in from the two openings, and started flooding the enormous cave. "In the mean time," Nami's chains pulled the navigator in the air, "I shall patiently wait for you outside." Nami's eyes were dilated with fear as she was moved against her will, still unable to speak. "Say goodbye to your friends, love." His eyes were completely focused on Zoro's.

Zoro's eyes widened when he saw Nami's body being raised in the air, and he started running towards her. His path was immediately interrupted by the hordes of Kaien's minions, and he started cutting his way through. His left arm was still hurting, and he soon found himself completely stuck in the middle of the roaring crowd. Alarmed, he raised his eyes towards the navigator and cursed when he saw her start fading along with Kaien. "Shit! Nami!!" _It's so fucking cramped in here! _Zoro took on his fighting stance and drew his swords towards the incoming enemies, "Santoryuu," he growled as he swirled in a roundabout, "Tatsumaki!!" Dozens of men around him flew in the air with screams of pain. But when he looked at the throne again…they were already gone.

"Nami-san!!" The cook was not far from him, snarling in frustration as he jumped on his hands and executed a circular kick that gave him some more space to run…albeit only for a moment. As soon as soon as the men around him flew off, another group launched themselves on top of him. "They just keep coming!" he cursed.

"Gomu gomu no!" Luffy's cry was barely heard over the yells of battle that the men around him let out, "Gatoringun!" the captain's attack finally gave them a bit more space to move as they all followed after Luffy.

"Cien Fleur!" Robin crossed her arms and immediately a good fifty of the men went down with a sickening echo of cracking bones.

"How many of these bastards are there?!" Franky yelled as he shot down the enemies around him with his mechanized arms, "There's no end to them!"

A fire eagle set flames on a great part of the enemies, "I don't know! But we can't just stay here until we're done with them! We don't have time!" his eyes searched for his captain, who was obliterating a few dozens of men with his rubber fists, "LUFFY! You guys go ahead!! We'll take care of this!!"

"All for one, one for all!" Brook yelled as he launched himself towards the mass of soldiers. His words made Usopp remember that fated day at Shabondy Archipelago, and he smiled bitterly after his bony friend, "Luffy-san! We shall meet up with you later!"

The captain turned towards his sniper and his musician, and looked around to see Franky and Robin dealing with the soldiers quite well by themselves. The sniper, the musician, the cyborg and the archeologist were standing in formation in order to protect Chopper and Vivi while they took care of Iryann. Deeming it safe enough for his nakama, he nodded, "Al right!" He then turned to the rest of his crew, "Zoro! Sanji! We're going ahead!!"

The three men started running towards the main exit, and were soon joined by Itami and Datte on either side.

"If you're thinking of going back outside," Itami smirked as he ran behind them, "You're going to need my help." Luffy nodded and glanced towards Datte, never once slowing his pace.

"I'm coming too," Datte said gravely, "Kaien needs to be stopped."

"Let's go then!"

* * *

"Ah, this is going so nicely." Kaien smiled with satisfaction as he walked towards the center of the stone coliseum ruins with Nami being carried along by the black chains around her. It had been one of his favorite spots in the island ever since he got here, it was relatively small, but enough for the purpose it served. After all, it is always far more enjoyable to torture and play around with your prisoners in a place that was specifically designed for such activities, right?

The navigator couldn't help but to look around as she floated beside the monster. The tiers were basically intact, and the coliseum in itself was very well preserved, although there was one side of the architectonic piece that was open (it appeared to have been broken quite some years ago). Nami had seen illustrations of coliseums in Robin's books, and as she looked around, she realized there was something different about this one. The central grounds were just dirt; there were no stone labyrinths or obstacles…just a plain dirt floor. It wasn't that what got her attention however, but the altar that stood at one of the sides of the battle ground.

It wasn't old.

"Oh! It seems you have noticed my little addition to this beautiful playground," Kaien chuckled darkly, but before Nami was given an opportunity to glare, she was unceremoniously dropped on the ground, "I am sure you can already figure out what it's for, though." The navigator's eyes widened with horror as the most terrifying images crossed her mind.

_He wanted to lead Zoro here! He's going to steal his essence!_

Kaien smiled in content as he watched the emotions flashing behind the girl's eyes. "Yes, my dear, you are indeed right…this has something to do with your little swordsman friend."

Nami's eyes roamed her surroundings in alarm. She couldn't even think of the man in front of her at the moment, she could only think about her nakama…who were _definitely_ heading their way there by then; headed towards a trap. What frustrated her and scared her more than anything, however, was the thought that Zoro probably already knew that…and was going to try to save her anyway, putting his own soul at risk by doing so.

Because that's just the way Zoro was.

"You seem troubled, dear." He chuckled, "Aren't you excited about my little game?" Nami glared at him, "It is certainly going to be a lot of fun."

"KAIEN!" Luffy's angry yells echoed throughout the grounds.

Both villain and navigator turned around towards the Straw Hat captain's voice. He was standing, along with other four figures, in front of the broken wall of the small coliseum. And, as Nami had feared, Zoro was amongst them.

"Well, well…it seems like our final players made it to the battle ground," His eyes went from one man to another, he clapped his hands together, "Let the fun begin."

Nami could not take her eyes away from the swordsman. He was standing; confident, tall, proud…even when his left arm had been basically rendered useless and he had so many cuts in his torso and legs…and yet…he still managed to look powerful. If anything, his wounds made him look all the more threatening.

The navigator closed her eyes in anguish.

_You idiot._


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 25**

"Well, well…" Kaien smiled as his eyes moved from one face to the next, regaled by the deadly glares that the five men were giving him, "So many scary faces…" He smirked as he glanced at Zoro and Datte, "Although it seems as though some of you can barely stand…" he chuckled, "You're rebelling against me so easily, Datte? And after I took such good care of you?" his voice was cold and mocking.

Datte's lips curled up in a snarl, "Go to hell, Kaien." His eyes glowered with hatred, "I'm going to make you pay."

"My, my…kids these days…so ungrateful," he shook his head slightly, "How is our beloved ice princess faring? I trust she is well?" His smile was heartless, and Datte found himself taking a step forward with a growl, only to be stopped by Zoro.

"You bastard," He hissed.

"Such foul words," his eyes then came upon Itami, whose face was serious and impassive, but his green eyes gave away the hatred the redhead felt towards him. "It seems as though I am being betrayed by all who I considered dear…"

Itami laughed bitterly, "Don't give me that shit, Kaien," he smirked, "You yourself said that you had only wanted me for my essence."

"Oh, Itami, my boy…" his eyes took a fake paternal warmth that made the redhead's lip curl up in disgust, "How far down you have fallen, my friend," the white man sighed, "To think that you would go as low as to join a crew of filthy pirates…I thought you knew better than that." He smiled, "I really hadn't expected you to come back when you could have just ran away from me…it seems as though your weak heart has, once again, influenced your ability to think clearly, boy…" his gold eyes glowed hungrily, "Just like it did with her."

Sanji eyed the redhead's still smirking expression, and had to admire the man's control over his emotions. As he understood it, Kaien had killed the only person he held dear, and yet here he was, smiling like this was just any other foe…like he had not gone through hell for five whole years because of him. The cook then realized that Itami could have, indeed, ran away and left Nami and Iryann to die while the crew tried to break in on their own…and found himself (albeit begrudgingly) feeling grateful for his help.

"I'm not that stupid, _my lord_," the last two words were dripping with bitter sarcasm, "I know perfectly well that, as soon as you were finished with Roronoa's and the others' essences you'd have hunt me down in no time," his smirk widened, "So why not just stay here and fight for my freedom? I'm quite a lazy person, you know, I don't like running." despite his humorous tone and laid-back pose, his eyes were cold as stone, "And if there is anything I can do to help bring about your downfall any faster, I will certainly do so." His eyes creased up in a smile.

Kaien's smile was still plastered on his face, but his eyes were less than amused as they dug coldly into his former servant's smile. The pirates, on the other hand, couldn't help but smirk at the words that had so easily left the redhead's mouth. Even the navigator felt the treacherous numbness of hope take over her heart at the man's confidence.

"Is that so?" Kaien's eyes narrowed "Do not think you'll have it so easy, boy, I will not fall without a fight."

"And neither will we," Luffy's voice blanketed them all with renewed confidence and faith.

Kaien glared dangerously at the boy, "We'll see about that, Straw Hat."

"You're damn right we will, shitty bastard," Sanji snarled, his cigarette an incandescent red light in the black night, "And you'll get to see it first hand."

"Well, this must be the infamous Blackleg Sanji," the cold voice was mocking, "The man who _knows_, but has to deal with the burden of not _telling_." Sanji and Zoro tensed while Luffy looked at his cook and first mate, a questioning look shinning in his charcoal-black eyes. _What does he—_

"Stop blabbering already, Kaien," Datte's cold reply relieved the apprehension from the blonde and the swordsman's shoulders as the young captain's attention was once again claimed by the present situation, "Why don't you just stop your manipulative attempts and take us seriously already? Unless of course you just don't deem us worth your time oh, all-powerful Dark Lord," the tall raven vowed in mock respect, earning a dark look from the white haired man.

"Your mockery is in bane, Datte," Nami could sense the irritation growing inside the man's eyes, and would have smiled, had it not been by the darkness that sealed her mouth. "You have spent half your life running from me. Do you really think my power has diminished at all since the last time you tried to defeat me? You are still no match for me, boy."

"If you're so confident of your skills," Zoro's strong voice was heard over the silence of the night, "Why delay the fight any longer?" his lips curled up in a feral smirk as he readied his swords, "Or are you scared that we might have a chance against you?"

"Aren't we bold, Roronoa," Kaien glowered, "Don't be too cocky, brat, or I assure you, it will be your doom," Nami was thrown away from him by an invisible force, making her land harshly on the tiers and earning the white man deadly glares and snarls from the five men, "But if you are so eager to die," he stood erect, his eyes glowing, "Let us begin."

The five men disappeared from view, and Kaien's eyes moved sideways, calmly roaming the darkness, trying to predict their very much predictable attack.

It was Itami who fell upon him first, his crimson sword raised over his head as he struck down on the white man. A black bladed sword materialized in Kaien's hand, and their swords met, lighting up the night with ephemeral sparks that danced and died before each clash of their blades.

"A traitor's destiny is never a good one, Itami," Kaien warned calmly as they fought for dominance, their swords being the only thing preventing the other from drawing blood, "If you go down this road, you are not going to like what you find." Itami's eyes narrowed with despise as his arms shook at the force he was using to prevent Kaien's sword from cutting him.

"Well I don't see what your point is," he growled, his voice strained under Kaien's powerful arms as the white man started to push him back. With a grunt, the redhead managed to stop the man's advance and took a chance to move closer to his former master as he hissed, "It's not like I have anything to lose anymore, now have I?" His tone was bitter and hungry for revenge.

"You'd be surprised, boy," Kaien's words made the redhead lose his focus for a moment, but that was more than enough for the white man to slide past Itami's defense and stab him in the shoulder. The dark lord smirked, "Your heart really _is_ weak." He sounded amused, and Itami snarled as he jumped back from the man, pressing a hand to his injured shoulder. "You shouldn't let your guard down that easily, boy."

"I could say the same thing to you," Kaien had barely enough time to turn as a black leg collided with the side of his head, and thrust him forward, making him crash against the stone tiers. Itami's eyes followed his former master's flying figure, and the redhead couldn't help but smirk when he heard the impact of his body against the old structure. He turned back to the cook, who was looking down on the fallen figure with a hand holding his cigarette in place, his other hand stuffed in his pocket.

"Thanks," he smiled, "I owe you one, Blondie." The eye twitch that followed the much hated nickname almost made the redhead laugh.

"Don't you call me that again, asshole, or I won't be helping you again, ungrateful bastard." Sanji's scowl was one that rivaled Roronoa's, and Itami found himself giving the cook an eye-creased smile.

"My bad."

"My, my, it seems like you two have become friends really fast," Sanji turned in alarm to find Kaien at less than two feet away from him, his broken jaw and cheek bones turning back to normal right in front of his eyes as the blood in his face faded away. The white of his eyes had turned black, just like Datte's eyes had when he was cursed, and his golden irises glowed with blood thirst as he glared down on his prey, "But you are seriously underestimating me, cook." Kaien's body was surrounded by a dark aura that threatened to asphyxiate the blonde and the redhead. "You and Itami are taking me none too seriously."

Sanji's eyes widened as a giant black claw was brought upon him and Itami, too fast for any of them to react.

A strong wind struck around them, throwing them away from the attack just as the dark claw crashed against the ground, leaving a considerable hole that would have most definitely hurt them…a lot.

"Don't let your guard down," Sanji and Itami opened their eyes to see Datte crouching beside them, not taking his eyes away from the white man. "He tends to trick people into thinking they have injured him, so that he can strike when they least suspect it." He snarled, "Don't expect any kind of honorable fight from that monster."

Sanji threw his extinguished cigarette away, cursing under his breath at his carelessness. He looked up to the raven man and grunted as he rose to his feet, "Thanks."

"Same here," Itami mumbled, slightly shocked at having been saved by the man he had _tortured_ only a few days ago. Had he forgot? Or did he already know about his essence…The redhead's eyes narrowed as he tried to understand the reason behind the raven's forgiving behavior.

"Don't mention it." Datte allowed himself to smile shortly before turning his eyes back to the enemy.

None of them were able to talk then.

An overwhelming aura covered the grounds around them, and the three men found themselves gasping for air as a massive dark force fell upon them with breath-taking intensity. The air became dense, and Sanji's knees were close to giving out at the weight he felt in his soul. As he glanced sideways, he saw Datte and Itami actually crouching and falling to their knees, both of them having already been weakened by previous injuries. The cook felt the dark energy move, and his eyes darted in front of him, watching the white man walk towards them slowly, threateningly…knowing full well that his prey could not move.

"It seems your cockiness can only take you so far…" his smile was so calm, and yet so sadistic at the same time that Sanji feltl a terrified chill run up his spine while his heart beat wildly in his chest, much like a bird's under the frightening stare of a hungry cat.

Sanji clenched his teeth further, and struggled to look around, searching desperately for anything that might get him out of his situation. Kaien's smile widened, and as he took the final step, he raised his hand towards the petrified trio.

Then, to the white man's bemusement, the cook smirked. A knowing smirk that clearly read: _You fell for it._ And the predator found himself taking a step back from his prey.

"Gomu gomu noooo!" Kaien's golden eyes widened as he looked behind him, finding nothing but the darkness of his own aura. He forced himself to take a breath.

_Calm down, there's no way they could break through my aura…_

"San Byaku Pound!" A second voice echoed around them, penetrating the dark aura surrounding Sanji and the others, and making the confused predator glance around in search for the source.

"CANNON!" A blast of energy fell abruptly on Kaien, making the white man's aura brusquely fade away as a new power filled their surroundings. The man's pained scream was the only thing heard, for the sudden burst of energy had lifted up the dust and stone under its victim, rendering everyone temporarily blind.

Sanji, Datte and Itami were thrown back by the attack, but were able to escape in time, their bodies now free from that heavy dark aura. As they skidded back, their eyes searched for the two figures that they knew were behind this.

As the wind made the smoke sway away, two figures were made visible in the chaos. They stood still, like powerful statues of ancient warriors frozen forever in their strong stances. The first mate's swords shined under the now visible moon, and his captain's eyes were shaded by his hat as he stood erect, his muscles still tense from the attack.

Itami couldn't help by gape slightly at the pirates' poise. It was then that he finally saw with his own eyes why the Straw Hat pirates were feared by all members of the World Government. It was obvious that Roronoa was strong just by looking at him, but still...his resistance after being hurt so badly by Datte was certainly impressive; the swordsman surely met up to his fame as a terrifying demon. But the young, goofy kid whose smiling face in that wanted poster depicted the innocence that was only characteristic of children…Where had that kid gone? The sheer strength that radiated from the young man's stance was just…unbelievable. This man truly possessed the rarest and most powerful haki known by man…The King's Disposition…

_And he still can't use it effectively…As soon as he does, this kid will be invincible…_

"Couldn't you have intervened a bit earlier, assholes?" the cook's amused snarl brought the redhead back from his thoughts as the first mate and his captain walked towards them, "I thought I was as good as dead."

Luffy threw his head back as he laughed apologetically, gone was the infuriated wrath that had made Itami shiver just seconds ago, "Sorry! We didn't know what was going on inside the guy's weird aura, so we had to guess!" He chirped.

"It's a good thing we did, too, any second later and the cook would've pissed in his pants." Zoro smirked as his friend's curly eyebrow twitched in anger.

"Shut up, shitty-swordsman," Sanji clenched his teeth to prevent himself from kicking the swordsman to death right then.

Zoro smirked at the cook's struggle, but soon enough his smile faded as he looked around, "Where's Nami?"

All smiles died as the five men looked around for the navigator, finding her wriggling form still lying on the tiers. She was still bounded by black chains, and the darkness around her mouth was still in place. With a sigh of relief, Zoro started running towards her, followed closely by Luffy and Sanji, along with Datte and Itami.

"And just where do you think you are all going?" the pirates froze in place as they heard a blood chilling voice reverberate in the air. Turning around slowly, they encountered a figure they had hoped to find not breathing.

Kaien stood some feet behind them, his face serious and lacking of all emotion, the white of his eye still a deep black color, and his golden irises glowing eerily in the night. But what shocked them to their core was, not that he was still alive, for they had figured it wouldn't be that easy to kill the man, no…what scared them was not the fact that he was still alive…

…But the fact that there was no damage in his body at all.

"My turn."


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 26**

"My turn."

The five men tensed as Kaien's eyes turned an even brighter gold, the air around him darkened, forming an aura of darkness that enveloped his figure with an undulating black energy. His white long hair swelled around him as though the sheer strength of his essence defied the laws of gravity.

The man was certainly frightening, and the pirates seemed to have frozen in fear at the sight of his power, and the weight of his aura on their souls.

Zoro was the first one to break out of the frightening spell. His left arm was going numb; he needed to strike before he lost feeling altogether. As he narrowed his eyes with renewed decision, he lunged forward, his own body slowly enveloped by his own dark haki as he drew his swords in front of him.

"Zoro!" the rest of his friends seemed to have also fallen from their trance at the sight of the swordsman's advance.

"Tora!" he fell upon his dark enemy with the savageness of a beast, "Gari!!" His swords cut right through the white man…

…but no blood spurted out. As Zoro looked back over his shoulder, his eyes widened as the region where he had struck Kaien turned into dark smoke before coming back to its original form.

"W-what?!" He gasped, his sword almost falling from his mouth at the sight. His left arm had started pulsating in pain, and he could barely feel his hand by now. He was feeling nauseous, as though something was moving within him. His knees suddenly gave in as Kaien's frightening figure turned to him, his white lips curling up in a smirk.

"It went right through him!" Sanji growled in frustration, realizing the danger the swordsman had put himself in, and noticing that Zoro could not move, "That idiot's overdone it!"

Luffy woke up from his horrified trance as he saw that his first mate was really having trouble standing up, and immediately felt dread forming at the pit of his stomach as Kaien raised a hand towards him. The sight of his helpless nakama brought back the memories of Shabondy Archipelago, when Zoro lay powerless under Kizaru's deadly attack. _No! I won't let that happen again!_

"Get away from Zoro!!" he started running towards his friend, pulling a fist back in anger, Sanji running right beside him.

"Give me your essence." Zoro felt a chill run up his spine, and managed to raise himself to a crouching position, he was holding his left arm in pain; his swords scattered around him. His left arm was basically useless, his forearm now being completely numb while the wound stung heatedly against his fingers. He was breathing heavily, and was doing all he possibly could to move away from Kaien as the man advanced. He could feel the darkness gathering around his heart again, and realized that his weakness was being increased by the white villain. His brow got slowly covered with cold sweat as the pain that had come to be so familiar pulsated in his heart.

Nami couldn't stop the tears coming from her eyes as she watched her friends' too slow advance towards Zoro, while Kaien's steps appeared to be going at a much faster pace. When she saw Zoro's uninjured hand leave his shoulder to clutch his heart, she felt like screaming in rage. _He's doing it again!! He's attacking Zoro's heart again!!_

Luffy's punch went right through the man's back, while Sanji's leg sliced through the Kaien's neck like it was nothing but smoke, reminding the three Straw Hats of the time when Usopp and Brook's attacks went right past Kizaru while the admiral's foot hovered threateningly over the helpless swordsman. It was like fate was repeating itself…and once again, none of them were strong enough to prevent it.

Zoro tried to keep his eyes on the enemy as he backed away as much as he could, but the pain in his heart did nothing but increase as Kaien's fist closed. His eyes widened, and he choked before coughing out a frightening amount of blood. _Shit!_

Itami's eyes narrowed as he looked from afar, he clenched his eyes shut, and tried to hold control of his essence. _Come on!_

Datte cursed as he tried to run faster, his injuries from his fight with Zoro preventing him from moving fast enough as he conjured the wind to slice at Kaien's neck, only for it to run through as though there was nothing there.

The raven boy had tears of frustration in his eyes as his fists did nothing but go through the enemy while the white hand got closer to Zoro. Sanji was yelling in anger and frustration at not being able to land a hit, and had already tried using his _Diablo Jambe_ without success. His right leg lightened the night with an incandescent red color that only served to portray the blonde's white hot rage at the moment.

"Straw Hat!" he heard Datte yelling as he ran to at least move Zoro away from the mad man, "Use your haki!"

A choked sob escaped the boy's mouth as he failed once again to strike his mark.

"I can't! I don't know how to use it!" he had never felt as weak as he did right then, and he only cursed himself for being so. _Zoro's going to die! Zoro's going to die! ZORO!_ He knew he possessed haki, but he honestly did not know how to conjure it. It seemed that it only came when he was not thinking of it. As much as he tried to bring out the power, he just couldn't find it.

"It doesn't matter, Luffy!" The boy turned in surprise at hearing Itami use his name, his eyes were red, and he seemed to be in pain as he held his head. The redhead nodded at him, "Trust me!"

Luffy nodded, somehow feeling confidence surround his heart as he pulled back one more time, gathering as much strength as he could. _Zoro!_

"It's no use to struggle, boy," Zoro gasped for air as the pain in his heart subsided momentarily, only to strike with greater force, and he bit back a scream while still trying to crawl away from the white man's menacing figure. "You have something that belongs to me…"

"G-go to hell!" the swordsman rasped as he dragged himself back with only his legs, since his left arm was useless and his right hand was still clenching at his heart.

Kaien laughed, "Pathetic." He continued walking as Sanji's enraged incandescent leg sliced through him once more, leaving only a trace of dark smoke behind. "I thought you were smarter than that, Roronoa."

The white man clenched his fist once more, and Zoro screamed out in agony, he could hear Sanji yell out his name as he lunged towards him; he was able to see Nami screaming her lungs out from the corner of his eye, her shrieks of anguish silenced by the darkness around her mouth. Datte was still running towards him, tripping over himself as the cuts in his legs reopened with every stride.

He couldn't move anymore.

He couldn't fight.

His pained eyes glanced upwards as he saw Kaien looming over him, his white hand reaching towards his heart this time, and he could only try to keep himself breathing as the hand approached his chest. The noises around him started fading as he felt the dark force strangle his heart further, slowly asphyxiating him while he choked on more blood. His vision was slowly turning white.

Then a voice reached him.

"ZORO!!!" a monstrous force stroke somewhere near the swordsman, and he felt a large current of wind as something flew past him. Someone had picked him up, and was moving him somewhere, but his eyes barely registered where. He was still alive. His heart was still beating…his soul was still within him…

…And the pain was gone.

Zoro gasped as he felt the force around his heart disappear and took a shuddering breath, filling his lungs with the air they had been lacking. He did it too hastily however, for as soon as he breathed out, he started coughing up all the blood that had gathered in his gullet. Taking in as much air as he could, he struggled to breathe normally.

Sanji could not believe what had just happened. When he had seen Zoro break down and Kaien's hand approaching his chest, he'd seen red, he had started running desperately towards the swordsman, yelling his name, telling him to move, anything that might save his friend from being killed. Suddenly, Kaien had paused with a grunt, and a loud cry had filled the night with silence as Luffy's fist had landed on Kaien's back……..and didn't go through.

Kaien had been propelled to the other side of coliseum, crashing against the stone structure with a rumble that made the ground shake. Datte had reached Zoro just in time, and had moved him away from the white figure's path.

The cook's wide eyes stared at the crumbling stone, his chest still heaving from the fear that had gnawed at his heart just seconds ago. Hearing a shuddering intake of breath beside him, he slowly turned his eyes towards his captain. The boy was looking down at his hands with as much confusion as Sanji felt, as though he didn't quite know what had happened. Had he managed to use his haki?

"L-luffy," he stuttered, still unable to take in what had happened, "D-did you—?"

Luffy's wide eyes met his, and he understood in that moment that his captain had not used his haki.

A sudden realization dawned on them, and they both looked back towards the redhead, who was breathing heavily while holding his head in pain. His eyes were still blood red, and it looked like he was trying hard to pull his thirst back as his features strained under a wince.

"Itami…" Luffy asked, his eyes still wide, "What did you do?"

The redhead did not respond immediately, his eyes clenching shut as his essence made a last attempt to control him by trying to numb his senses, making him blind and deaf to the world around him. With a final push from the green eyed man, the essence finally gave up and retreated to the back of his mind.

"I induced pain…into Kaien's mind," the man rasped, his eyes slowly turning back to green, "It was not too much, since I had not prepared well enough to use a large amount of energy…but it was enough to make him lose focus on his essence…so you were able to hit him." Itami closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, opening them not long after as he straightened his back and smiled back at them. "The merit is all yours, really."

"Shitty bastard," Sanji growled under his breath, turning the redhead's eyes towards him in confusion, "The merit is as much yours as it is his, now shut your trap."

Itami stared at him with wide eyes…had the cook just…complimented him? He couldn't help but smirk at the realization, which only served to anger the cook.

"So thoughtful of you, Blondie," he chirped, smiling further as he saw a vein pulsate on the cook's forehead, and decided to stop the argument, otherwise Kaien would get them by surprise again, "We have some time until he's back on his feet, we should check on Roronoa and your navigator."

Their eyes moved immediately towards the bloody figure of the swordsman, who had managed to sit up and was coughing up the remaining blood while Datte held him up. Feeling worry gnawing him, Luffy immediately ran to his first mate.

"Zoro!" he yelled, feeling relief overcome him when the man raised his head to look at him, "You okay?"

"Been better," he admitted, spitting out the last bit of the crimson liquid from his mouth, "I can still move, though."

"Oi, oi, shitty marimo, don't go and kill yourself now," Sanji growled as he stepped towards his green haired friend, "You've been enough of a nuisance as it is."

"Shut up, shit-cook."

"He's right, Zoro," Datte's voice was grave as his silver eyes stared deep into the swordsman's black ones, "You really shouldn't be moving," a small smile betrayed his seriousness as he sighed, "But it's not like you're going to listen anyway."

"Hn," Zoro allowed himself to smirk at his old friend before raising himself to his feet with a grunt, still requiring the raven's help to do so, but remaining perfectly stable once he was back up. The swordsman glanced at his captain, who was smiling proudly at him, although his chocolate eyes still betrayed his worry, and Zoro smiled at the boy, putting a hand on his messy black hair, "Thanks, Captain." His eyes drifted towards Itami, who was still smiling with that crooked smirk of his, and he nodded in gratitude; a gesture that was returned by the redhead without further words needed. The green haired first mate then looked for the navigator, and spotted her laying on the tiers. He started running immediately towards her, already feeling his energy returning.

Nami could not have been more relieved when she saw Zoro running towards her. And as soon as the swordsman finally jumped on the tiers, she wriggled in order to get closer to him. While her mind raced with all the things she wanted to tell him, she couldn't help the tears that fell down her cheeks. _I'm so glad you're okay! I can't believe you came for me! You idiot! What are you doing here!? Argh! I can't stop crying and it's all your fault! If you don't kiss me right this moment I will raise your debt by 300,000,000 Beri! And I don't care if I still have that thing on my mouth!!!_

Zoro chuckled, as though he could hear everything the navigator was thinking, and lifted the navigator to sit her in a more comfortable position. "Sorry I took so long…" he sighed, "Why is it that you always get into this kind of trouble, woman?" He pulled hard on the chains, expecting to find some resistance, but it seemed that Luffy's punch had even made Kaien's control over the chains disappear, for they faded away as though they were smoke. Somewhat surprised at the lack of resistance, he then moved to take off the darkness surrounding Nami's mouth, but as soon as he grazed it with his fingers, the tentacle vanished exactly like the chains had, and the redhead took a large gulp of air. She looked up at Zoro, who had a smirk in his face, and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. The swordsman chuckled, "Miss me, witch?"

"I hope you realize the money you owe me by now, idiot!!" she yelled into his shirt, too stubborn to voice what she was really thinking, "How could you let poor me go through this kind of treatment!? Now I'm going to need months of therapy massage to get the stress off me!!"

Zoro patted her back mockingly, "Yeah, yeah, of course, poor you…figures it would all be my fault. It's not like you don't have money to pay for massages anyway, you greedy witch." Nami looked up and glared heatedly at him.

"Just shut up and kiss me already, idiot." Zoro smirked before bringing the navigator's lips to his own in a ferocious kiss.

As they parted, they took the time to look at each other in the eyes briefly, and Nami allowed herself to show the worry that had been gnawing at her heart since she had been taken away by Kaien. Zoro, in turn, gave the navigator one of his rare smiles, and wiped her tears away before standing up. He offered a hand to the orange haired girl, who took it gratefully and let him pull her to her feet with his strong arm.

Already standing, Nami took the time to look at her other friends, and send the happily waving Sanji a smile and a wave of her own (albeit much less…enthusiastic). She made sure to send a grateful look to the smiling blood red haired man, and laughed as Luffy's ecstatic waving ended up hitting the cook in the face. She nodded to the tall raven man, who in turn gave a small vow. The navigator then glanced back at the swordsman next to her, and saw him opening and closing his left hand with a thoughtful look. A small frown marred her features, and she put a small pale hand carefully on his arm, making his eyes meet with hers. His deep black eyes softened slightly, and he shook his head to tell her not to worry. She knew better than to push him, and left the issue alone.

Any more discussions were suddenly forgotten, however, when the ground started shaking, taking Nami by surprise as she held on to the swordsman for support. There was a heavy dark aura gathering around the shattered ruins, and none of them doubted where to look when the echo dangerously slow steps started making themselves known in the rubble.

"You brats," the dark voice let on so much uncontained rage that Nami found herself taking a step backward, "How dare you do this to me!?" he roared, and his wrath was enough to make the stone columns shake. The figure finally stepped into the light of the moon and they were all surprised to see his blood dripping down his face, while his once before perfectly white body was now marred by bruises and scratches of the impact. By the way he held his torso while walking; the navigator deduced he had broken at least a couple ribs.

"Stay back, Nami." Zoro warned as he walked towards the small formation that the other men had placed themselves in. The navigator opened her mouth to protest, but deemed it fit to not be more of a nuisance to her friends than she already had.

By the time Zoro reached the group, Kaien was perfectly visible, and the fact that even rocks had started levitating around him was defiantly not a good sign.

"Itami," the redhead couldn't help but cringe at the rage that was obvious in his former master's voice, but still managed to maintain his uncaring façade, "I warned you. But I will warn you again, if you dare use your essence against me one more time, you will suffer greatly for it."

"Like I said, my lord," Itami's voice was full of hatred, "Even if you killed me now, I really don't care if I lose my life fighting you." His green eyes shined with sheer loathing as his lips curled up in a snarl and growled, "I have already lost everything."

The Straw Hats glanced at the redhead in slight worry. As much as they had hated him before, he had come to be one of them, and they did not want to see Itami lunging himself recklessly into his death. No one said anything, however, for they knew that nothing they could say would heal the wound of the man's tortured heart.

"Then go ahead," Kaien challenged, "And help your new friends _defeat_ me."

Itami did not answer, but merely lowered his face, so that his eyes were shadowed from the pale light of the moon. As he raised them again, they were and incandescent red blood color and his pupils were elongated, like those of a feline.

Kaien winced.

And that was the signal for the Straw Hats to attack.

Zoro and Sanji lunged themselves forward, the swordsman using only two swords due to his injured arm, but still looking as demonic as ever. As the ran towards the man, drawing blades and blazing legs towards their target, Kaien let out more of his aura with a roar, making Itami grunt at the sudden effort it cause him to try to inflict pain in the white man's brain. Kaien used that moment to dodge the upcoming attack, and extended his arm to send two giant claws that threw Zoro and Sanji against some of the remaining columns of the old structure.

"Don't think I will let you get into my brain so easily, boy!" Kaien yelled, "This doesn't change the fact that you are weak, Itami, you are still a weakling!"

"Shut up!" the redhead roared as he focused on his target with increased determination, "Straw Hat!"

"Right!" Luffy sprinted towards the white man tortures, pulling fists back as far as he could.

But Kaien still managed to move away in time to dodge the captain's attack. This had gone way too far, he needed to use his trump card _now_.

"Itami! I warned you, boy!!" he roared, the way his voice dripped with victory and satisfaction made everyone stop in their tracks as the white man straightened his back and looked at him with a triumphant maniacal grin, "I think the time has come for you to meet an old acquaintance of yours." Itami felt his heart clench as dread started to form at the bottom of his stomach, "You haven't seen her in five years, have you?"

The pirates stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes suddenly glued to the redhead as the man's eyes widened with shock and horror, "Y-you!" Itami winced as he tried to still keep the pain inside Kaien's mind, but he could feel his focus slipping away as blurred images of silver hair and scarlet colored eyes flooded his mind.

"Yes, me." Kaien's smile was heartless, "You didn't really think I would kill the only person I could use to get you to give me your essence, did you?"

"But you said—!"

"Oh, no," Kaien corrected, "I never said I had _killed_ her; I merely mentioned _taking her away _from you…the one who chose to reach that conclusion was you, boy. I didn't lie." Zoro glared at the man with disgust.

"Liar!!" he roared, feeling his control dissipate by the minute, "There was blood in the cabin!! It was everywhere! It was hers!" his eyes flamed with uncontrolled rage and desperation as those horrible memories came back.

"Well, you don't need to kill a person to make them bleed, now do you?" Sanji's pupils contracted with hatred at the thought of that monster doing something like that to a woman, and he took a step forward only to be stopped by Datte, who shook his head slowly. "You still don't believe me?" Kaien shook his head in mock sadness, "I'll show you then."

Kaien snapped his fingers, and a young woman immediately materialized beside him in a cloud of smoke. Her hair was a moonlit silver color, and it reached the small of her back in defined waves, giving it the appearance of strands of actual silver undulating in the wind. Her skin was pale as marble, and though seemed to be bruised and dirty from having stayed such a long time in captivity, it still seemed to be as smooth as alabaster. She was dressed in a ratted grey dress that must have reached up to her shins when she had first worn it, but that barely covered her thighs now. Her eyes were a deep scarlet color that glistened with sadness and despair at seeing Itami being subject to Kaien's blackmail.

Luffy gave a step towards Itami, seeing that the man's focus on Kaien was about to fade, and that the white man was very close to being able to use his powers once more. "Itami." He called, "Itami, focus…you need to focus on Kaien or he'll be able to do what he likes."

Nami watched as Itami's red eyes stared at the silver haired figure with a rampage of shock, horror, sadness and happiness going through them, and felt her eyes tear up when the man's irises slowly started turning to green, "K-kurenai." He took a small step forward.

"Mistake." Kaien's voice was like a bucket of cold water for the pirates as the white man gained control of his powers.

Before anyone had time to move, a sharp sound echoed in the air, followed by the echo of metal piercing through flesh.

"ITAMI!!"

Three black spears were lodged in the redhead's petrified body. One of them had pierced through his shoulder, while the other two had stabbed through his stomach. Nami's hands covered her mouth in horror as Itami stood wide eyed, a rasping sound coming from his throat as he coughed out a mouthful of blood. The man started to lose his footing, and was beginning to fall backwards, Kurenai and Nami shrieked as the man's pierced back neared the ground.

It never did.

A black suited figure was holding the man from under his arms, preventing the spears to do any more damage to his already battered torso. The cook moved slowly to his knees, carefully bringing Itami's inert body with him. He knew better than to try and take the spears out, and so he laid the man on his side, in a way that the lances wouldn't lodge themselves further into his body. As Sanji looked down to the man, he noticed he had a small bloodied smile on his face, and the cook felt like kicking the idiot in the head. _You and your darn smiles. I'll kick your ass after this, shitty redhead._

Heaving a sigh of relief, Kurenai turned to the disappointed white man with hatred, "You monster!!" she screamed as she threw herself at him, only to be slapped in the face by a white hand. The years without eating properly and spending so much time incarcerated were enough to send her sprawling on the floor from that single hit.

"Do not put your dirty hands on me," Kaien hissed.

Kurenai held a hand to her cheek and glared heatedly at the man before running towards the fallen figure of the redhead. As she crossed paths with the blonde, she smiled gratefully at him before kneeling beside Itami.

"I warned you, boy..." Kaien's eyes drifted towards Zoro and Luffy, "It seems the only way you had of attacking me is gone...now what, Strawhat?" his smirk was feral, and returned with a disgusted snarl from Luffy, "Will you let me have your first mate's soul?"

Luffy's eyes dilated with fury as he glared at the man.

"Never."


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters belong to Eiichirō Oda.**

**Chapter 27**

Chopper hurriedly took as many bandages from his small bag as he could with his small arms.

"Vivi! Press down on the wound!" he ordered, taking out the disinfectant and the roll of surgical thread.

"Hai!" the princess' pale hands covered Iryann's opened stomach as much as they could, almost immediately tinted with a scarlet color, "Come on, Iryann!" she had to keep her awake, "Iryann, stay with me!"

The girl's eyes were barely open, glazed over as she slowly slipped into the darkness. But Vivi would not let her. "Iryann!"

Chopper came back from his bag and dabbed at the wound, but it was useless, the blood would not stop.

"This is bad; if we don't stop the hemorrhage right now it'll be too late!" His eyes burned into the wound. He couldn't quite stitch it up until the bleeding decreased, and just waiting for it to stop was out of the question. The small doctor was starting to get really frustrated when Vivi suddenly gasped.

"Eh? What's wrong, Vivi?"

He turned to his patient once more, and his eyes widened. Something had started forming at the edges of the deep cut. It looked like…

"Ice?" Chopper frowned as he tried to get a closer look.

"It's frost! Iryann's wound is covering with frost!"

Indeed, it seemed like there was ice forming around the wound and travelling towards its center, effectively stopping the bleeding.

"Wha-?" Chopper's eyes widened as the deep cut was completely covered with ice, a cracking noise filling the air around them as the temperature decreased. "Iryann? I-Iryann, are you awake?" he stuttered.

A pained moan reached their ears, and both Chopper and Vivi got closer to the blonde. She squirmed, almost immediately wincing at the movement. "Ch-chopper?"

"Iryann! Thank God!" He felt like crying, "Don't move, you have a serious injury!"

The girl didn't listen and opened her ice-blue eyes, clenching her jaw as she tried to sit up. Vivi silently provided help to her friend, and soon she was sitting up straight.

Iryann put a hand to her forehead as she tried to clear her head, "What happened?"

"Y-you ran in between Datte-san and Mr. Bushido," Vivi explained.

The blonde's eyes widened as the memories rushed back into her now cleared mind. _Where are they?_ She looked around. Robin, Franky, Usopp and Brook were fighting against the few guards that surrounded them. Her eyes searched the room anxiously…they weren't there. _They're not here!_ She turned to Vivi and grabbed her arms pleadingly.

"Where are they?!"

They did not answer right away. Vivi's grey eyes were wide, still shocked that the girl was talking and moving after being injured so badly. It was Chopper who got over the shock first.

"Kaien took Nami outside," he started, "And Luffy, Zoro and the others went to save her."

"Outside?" her pupils dilated with fear, "Zoro went _outside_?"

Vivi and Chopper glanced at each other in confusion, "Y-yeah," Chopper answered, "Why?...What's outside?"

"He can't!" she said to herself, "He's going to get killed!"

Fear immediately took over the reindeer and the princess as they saw Iryann's terrorized eyes. The girl put her hands on the ground and pushed herself up, grunting at the effort and biting her lip as she felt her wound stretch open. "We need to stop them!"

"But they left a while ago," Vivi rose to her feet and helped the blonde, "They're probably already facing him."

"Zoro can't fight him!" she stressed, looking around; the others were done with the guards and had started running towards them when they saw Iryann standing.

"Iryann!" Usopp yelled, "What the hell are you doing!? You shouldn't be walking around!"

"The longnose is right, Iryann-sis," Franky agreed, "Please lay down."

"No!" she yelled in frustration, shaking off Vivi's hands and limping towards the entrance of the cave. "We can't stay here!"

Robin easily caught up to the girl and stood in front of her, holding both her arms, "Iryann," she said, using her real name instead of her nickname, "What's wrong?" the girl bit her lip as she tried to shake her off, but Robin was having none of that, "Look at me," the seriousness in her voice drew Iryann's eyes to hers, "What's going to happen to Zoro?" The girl flinched.

"His—" she gulped, "Kaien is going to absorb his essence! If he led them outside, he probably took them to the coliseum! It will be easier for him if he does it there! Zoro doesn't stand a chance!"

Robin paled. "His essence?"

"We need to go help them!" the girl pressed, "If Kaien binds them down for long enough, he'll be able to get Zoro!"

"Franky!" Robin called, feeling concern tie a knot in her stomach.

"I know," the cyborg had heard the girl's explanation and immediately walked up to them, taking the injured girl in his arms, "Let's go, Iryann-sis." Robin nodded in thanks to the man and took her eyes away from the weakened glance that the blonde directed towards the entrance of the cave.

"Chopper." The reindeer was already by her side, ready to follow orders, "We need to find them as fast as we can, can you follow their scent?"

The doctor raised his nose and paused for a second before nodding, "Yeah, it's still fresh."

"Alright," she let out a breath she did not realize she'd been holding. "Let's hurry." The reindeer immediately started running, and the rest followed rapidly after him.

"Robin! Even if we get there in time," Usopp panted as he ran beside her, "What can we possibly do? If Luffy and the others can't beat him, there is no way we can be of any help!"

"Usopp-san!" Brook called from behind him, an unusually serious expression in his skeletal face, "Even if that were the case, we must do what we can!"

"That's right, longnose!" Franky yelled, "We won't know until we try!"

Usopp gulped down his fear in shame as he took on the determined faces of his group. Chopper was completely focused on following the trail; Robin seemed to be thinking through their chances and what they would do once they got there, Franky following close behind her. Brook was running beside him, his sword ready to use in case they found any adversaries on their way to their friends. Even Vivi seemed to be determined to help their friends in any way possible, her usually kind face marred by an unwavering look that was framed by a small frown. Any remaining fear disappeared when he saw Iryann; the girl was holding on to Franky's back like lifeline, wincing every now and then at the brusque movements. The sniper could see a thin trail of blood coming from her stomach and decided then that, if her wounded nakama could do it, then he could do it too, damn it!

"Alright! Let's save those idiots then!"

Usopp felt his nakama's looks, but chose to ignore them as he strode forward. His heart felt lighter when he noticed a certain blonde's smile as he looked from the corner of his eye.

* * *

"ITAMI!!"

Nami's shriek was heard through the night as the group ran over the wet grass to save their friends. Fear filled their hearts at the thought of what could have happened to the redhead. Franky's arms tightened around Iryann's frail frame; if anyone knew how strong that man was, it was him, and the mere thought of him having been defeated was enough to make him wonder if they would really get out of this one alive.

"Don't worry, Franky," a weak, cold breath grazed his neck as the girl behind him tried to comfort him, "We'll be fine."

The cyborg did not answer, just giving a firm nod as he continued running towards the now visible coliseum.

Chopper raised his head towards their destination, a new smell joining the blend that made his nakama's cent. He felt his throat tighten. _Blood…_his heart started beating faster as his mind drifted into panic, _Blood! There's lot of blood! Itami!_

Robin felt the reindeer's sudden distress and frowned with worry.

"We're almost there."

* * *

Kaien laughed.

"You fool," his eyes lacked any sort of compassion or humanity as he eyed the mad expression that had taken hold of the captain's eyes, "Do you really think it is up to you? You think you have a chance to stop me?" he laughed again, only feeling more satisfied as he felt the anger radiating from the raven haired boy, "Just take a look at your new friend."

Luffy's eyes glanced at the bloody mess that was Itami, the three black spears still lodged in his body as he slowly drowned in a pool of his own blood, his hand being held by Kurenai as she tried her hardest to keep him conscious.

"He was your only chance of defeating me," Kaien informed with a grin, "He came back knowing full well what awaited him, the idiot," his lips curled up in a disgusted scowl as his golden eyes fell on his former servant, "And he still _trusted_ you, a filthy pirate…a mindless brat with his head full of impossible dreams…" he spat, disgusted, "Even after all these years, he still thought he had a chance for redemption…" his eyes went back to Luffy's, whose wrath did nothing but increase as Kaien insulted the redhead, "I'm surprised you even let him come with you…he's such a weakling--"

"SHUT UP!" He yelled, feeling white hot wrath course through his veins.

"Oh? Did I offend you?" Kaien's smirk only served to anger Luffy further; "Is it because you sympathize with him?" his smile was cruel and sardonic, "Because you are weak as well?"

Luffy tensed. Images of his suffering nakama rampaged through his mind. Zoro's agony as he gripped at his heart; Nami's tears as she tried to scream but couldn't; Iryann's sad smile as she stepped in between Datte and Zoro; Datte's horrified face as he realized what he'd done to Iryann; Sanji's screams of wrath as he fought to land a hit on Kaien; Itami's wide eyes as his body was ran through by three spears. _I couldn't help them. I'm…I'm we--_

"Don't listen to him, Luffy!" Zoro's firm voice pulled him out of his mental agony, and as his eyes searched for his first mate, they found him standing right in front of him, a sword in his mouth and another in his right hand, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side.

"Marimo's right, Luffy, don't you dare listen to that asshole." His wide eyes found Sanji as he walked up to the swordsman and stood beside him, a lit cigarette hanging from his lips as he put his hands in his pockets, ready to fight.

Datte followed right after, silently positioning himself at Zoro's other side and taking on a fighting stance.

"But--"

"We're in this together, captain," Zoro growled, "Don't you dare think you're alone."

Nami couldn't help but smile proudly as she witnessed his nakama's loyalty to their captain. Luffy really needed to learn that he could depend on them too. Her moment of pride shattered, however, as Kaien's laughter filled the air.

"How moving," he mocked, "Is this when I'm supposed to back down in awe of your comradeship and loyalty to your captain?" his smile seemed almost disgusted by the demonstration.

"You can do whatever you want, asshole," Zoro growled with a deep voice that rumbled deep in his chest with an almost animalistic sound, "But it won't matter once we've beat the shit out of you."

Kaien sighed, "And on what grounds did you build that conclusion?" his voice seemed almost disappointed, "Seriously, I'm started to wonder about your rationality," his face split in a feral smirk, "Do you really think you still have a chance, Roronoa?"

"Don't let your guard down," Datte warned.

"Because I think you're forgetting a tiny, little detail." He extended a hand to his right.

They heard a scream, and Zoro felt his blood run cold when he saw who the white man was holding by the neck.

"Nami…" he gasped, horrified.

"That's right Roronoa," the man smirked, tightening his hold on the navigator's neck while she wriggled and tried with all her might to free herself from the cruel white hand, her small hands coming to grip at the man's wrist. "Now what?" his eyes gleamed knowingly, "Are you willing to fight me even when I have the life of the woman you love in the palm of my hand?" his grip tightened, as if to prove his statement, and Nami gave a strangled choking sound, ceasing her attempts to escape as her lungs screamed for air.

"You bastard!" Sanji yelled, his eyes diluted with anger as he saw the pain in Nami's eyes.

"Let her go!" Luffy growled dangerously, his voice breaking with fury.

Zoro was like a statue. He couldn't move. All he could think of was how Nami's movements seemed to slow with each second that passed; how her eyes were becoming clouded.

"You know what the deal is, Roronoa."

Sanji's head whipped around to face the swordsman, instantly understanding what Kaien meant. "Wait, marimo…" the look in the first mate's eyes drained the color from his face, "Zoro."

Nami's eyes widened, she tried to look for Zoro, but the right hold of the man's hand around her neck prevented her from even glancing to her side. "Zo…ro…" she gasped.

Luffy felt his body tense in horror as he watched the back of his best friend. The grip on his swords was such that his knuckles were completely white, and his shoulders seemed to be shaking. "Zoro."

The swordsman's shoulders sagged. All tension leaving him as he let his swords fall in defeat. Luffy's heart clenched as he took on the implications of that action.

Zoro was surrendering. He was giving up.

Itami's words echoed in his mind.

_A bearer's essence is part of their soul. If you absorb their essence…you take their soul with you._

The air around them was filled with silence, and all that was heard was the clattering of his swords as they reached the ground.

"I knew you wouldn't disappoint." Kaien's satisfied voice stabbed their hearts with the truth, "Well, a deal is a deal." His hold on Nami slacked and the navigator fell heavily on the floor, gasping and coughing for air while tears dripped down her face as she realized what was about to happen.

Sanji grabbed Zoro's shirt in anger, "What the hell do you think you're doing, shit-swordsman?" he growled as he shook the man's frame, his anger rising when the swordsman didn't do anything to fight him off.

"You know exactly what I'm doing, Sanji." The cook's grip faltered when the man used his name, his voice calm and grave, and he took a step back, "There is no other way."

"Zoro." The man turned to face his captain, his face serious but serene, not a hint of tension in his black eyes.

Luffy's shoulders were shaking, his hands closed in fists at his sides, but his eyes were as grave as his first mate's as they both looked at each other in the eye.

"I'm sorry, captain."

Luffy's eyes closed.

"You idiot."

A hint of sadness gleamed in the swordsman's eyes for a moment before they became hard as steel.

"Shall we begin then." It was not a question. Kaien snapped his fingers.

A thick vine-like darkness shattered the ground beneath Zoro and crawled around his body with crushing force. The swordsman grunted as his lungs were crushed out of air.

"Zoro!!" Luffy and Nami yelled. Sanji made an attempt to help him, but was immediately sent crashing against a row of columns by a dark claw.

"Oh, no you don't." Kaien cliqued his tongue, "It won't do if you try to interfere, Mr. Cook."

"Sanji!" Luffy had had enough; he pulled his fists back and attacked.

"Again, Straw Hat, when are you going to learn that you _cannot_ defeat me?" Luffy's fists were deflected by a dark tentacle. Before the young captain could attack again, another dark claw appeared behind him and sent him flying to the opposite side of the coliseum.

A sharp gust of wind attacked the darkness imprisoning Zoro, failing to cut through the thick tentacle. Datte clenched his jaw before sending the strongest blast of air he could summon without injuring the swordsman in the process.

"Why do you try so hard? It is more than obvious that you can't do anything." A black stake stabbed through Datte's arm, its momentum sending the man back until he crashed against a column, stabbing itself into the stone, preventing him from moving. "I might need you later, don't move."

Nami watched in horror as the dark tentacle squeezed the life out of Zoro. Feeling rage flood her system, she went to stand up and run towards him but, as soon as she started pushing herself off the ground, Kaien stepped on her leg, breaking both her tibia and her fibula with a sharp snapping sound. The navigator screamed, an agonizing pain making her see white.

"N-Nami!" Zoro grunted, "Leave her out of this!"

"Oh, I am terribly sorry," Kaien apologized with a mocking smile, "I did not see her." he waved a hand towards the tiers and an invisible force sent the navigator flying and crashing against them.

"You bastar-ugh!" Two of his ribs cracked as the black limb tightened its hold, "I already agreed! Why do you—" his words died in his throat when another set of ribs broke.

"It's not that I don't believe in your word, Roronoa," the white man said as he walked towards the swordsman, "I simply know better than to think that your friends will agree to your decision." The tentacle's grip became tighter, and Zoro found himself choking for air.

"Zoro!!" Kaien's golden eyes turned to the entrance of the coliseum to find the rest of the crew staring in horror at the sight before them.

"Well, well, look who we have here, how kind of you to grace us with your presence," he smirked, "It seems you have come just in time for the show, please have a seat." An invisible force swept them off their feet, making them fall to the ground. His eyes went back to Zoro's dark glare. "Now, it is time for me to take what is rightfully mine."

Kaien raised a hand towards Zoro, and the tentacle moved so that it wasn't covering his chest. "I would love to say that this is not going to hurt...but that would be a big, fat lie." He smiled, his hand nearing the man's heart. The swordsman's breath got caught in his throat when the pale hand penetrated his chest, as though it were a ghost's.

After that, everything seemed to be going in slow motion.

Sanji and Luffy both sprinted from where they had landed, screaming the swordsman's name as they ran towards him, knowing they would not reach him in time. Datte struggled to remove the stake from his shoulder, but it only served to tear his flesh further. Franky and Usopp had raised their weapons, and were pointing at Kaien, firing with anger; but the bullets went right through him. Robin tried to use her powers, but she could not touch the white man or remove Zoro's bindings. Brook and Chopper were running towards the swordsman while Vivi held Iryann with fear in her eyes. The blonde raised a hand towards Kaien, failing to summon her power. Itami opened his eyes and struggled to look at the swordsman, he tried to move, but only made a gurgling sound before coughing out blood. Nami screamed in fear and anger as she tried to get on her feet but fell immediately after, her broken leg rendering her unable to move.

Kaien closed his fist inside Zoro's chest, taking a hold of his essence.

Zoro's eyes widened, his mouth parting open in a silent cry as he felt his insides moving. He felt as though his heart was being ripped out of his body. The pain was excruciating, but those tentacles were holding him so tightly that he couldn't even bring himself to scream.

Sanji tripped, falling to the rocky ground with a grunt. As he looked up, he felt the color drain from his face. Kaien's hand was out of the swordsman's chest, and it was holding something tightly, slowly ripping it out of his body.

He could see it. It looked like a very thin and delicate fabric, a dark grey color...translucent...flowing, like smoke; fragile...as though it could rip any minute...

Zoro's soul.

The swordsman's eyes were wider than he'd ever seen them, and although he wasn't screaming, the cook knew the man was going through torture. "Shit!" he stood up and kept running. _If he takes it out completely Zoro's as good as dead!_

Luffy ran; he was getting closer, if only he could reach him. _Zoro!_ A dark tentacle grew from the ground and hit him hard on his side, sending him flying back once again. He stood up, wincing as he started running once more. _No!_

Nami stared horrified; Kaien had taken out most of Zoro's soul already, and he was not stopping. She started hyperventilating, her vision becoming blurred as she took on the swordsman's face and the way he seemed to be losing color. _No!_ She looked around, trying to find a way to stop this, _No, no, no! This can't be happening! No! He's dying. He's dying! Zoro's dying! I have to do something!_

Robin's lips trembled with fear as she saw the swordsman's soul. All the helplessness from Shabondy Archipelago came back...from Zoro's last attack, when she had tried to revive him but couldn't. Her body was paralyzed. Were they late? Was this really it?

Zoro's eyes widened further as he felt the last remains of his soul leave him. A vision of his crew filled his mind: his captain, the cook, the doctor, the archaeologist, the princess, the sniper, the shipwright, the musician...

Nami...

He felt a last stabbing pain, then it all turned white.

The swordsman's eyes glazed over and his head fell limply to his side. The tentacles around him dissipated like smoke, and he started falling.

The Straw Hats watched him fall, his body seeming to soar gracefully…slowly…while some of them ran as fast as they could towards him.

But not fast enough.

He hit the ground with an empty thud, raising dust around him, his eyes open, his dead stare gazing at the dark night.

His chest still.

And then the spell broke.

"ZORO!!!!"

**------------------**

**...**

**Please don't kill me.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 28**

Nami ran. Ignoring the searing pain in her leg, she limped her way towards the fallen swordsman. She was already half way there, when her leg twisted again and she fell to the floor, scraping her arms and knees further. Biting down the pain, she stood up again, her vision blurring as her eyes fell once again on the still figure. She was about to fall again when a strong arm caught her. She looked up.

"L-luffy." She whimpered, barely able to get the words out of her throat.

The young captain did not answer; his eyes were shaded under his hat as he took the girl in his arms and took her where the swordsman was. Nami clenched her eyes shut, still not willing to believe what had happened. In a second she was there, and Luffy placed her on the ground carefully.

She stared at the dirt around her, not wanting to look at him. She kept her eyes on his hand, lying inert at his side. She felt her heart clench, and she finally looked at him.

His eyes were open, as black as they had always been…but glazed over…unfocused…staring lifelessly at the sky. She bit her lip. Her hands finally obeyed her, albeit shaking, and she managed to take hold of his shirt.

"Zoro," she shook him softly, her voice breaking, "Zoro…Z-Zoro…Zoro!" she shook him with more anguish, her words now becoming unintelligible with her sobs, "Zoro, no, no! Please! Zoro!" She laid her head on his chest, clutching onto the battered white cloth like a lifeline as she cried in denial, her screams muffled by the shirt.

Luffy stood beside her, watching them with shaded eyes. His expression was hidden from the rest. No shaking, no tears…just standing.

Sanji walked quickly towards them, feeling worried about the captain´s stillness, and feeling a lump form in his throat at the sight of the swordsman´s eyes and the crying navigator. His eyes moved to Kaien, who had moved away from the scene and was watching while sitting on another throne, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement, but otherwise passively observing.

As he reached the small group, he eyed Luffy, unable to tell whether the boy was feeling anger or sadness, and fearing what the boy might do if he went berserk. But his captain did not move. Frowning, he kneeled next to the navigator, wanting to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but knowing that it would be selfish and useless to try to calm her sorrow. His lone blue eye went to the still face of the swordsman, and the empty look in those black eyes made him shiver, as though a hand had taken hold of his heart and clenched it, making his eyes start watering. He bit his lip to calm himself down; took a deep breath. His hand moved to his nakama's face and covered his eyes, closing them.

As he removed his pale hand, Sanji smiled despite himself and rubbed his eye as a sound that could have been both a strangled chuckle and a sob escaped his throat.

The swordsman looked asleep.

"Stupid marimo…" he mumbled, "Always been such a lazy ass…" he swallowed the knot in his throat, knowing the idiotic swordsman would have been disappointed to see him crying if he'd been there. He looked behind him, eyes searching for the rest of his nakama.

Robin was shaking, petrified; her arms still crossed at her chest. Beside her, Vivi and Iryann had also lost the ability to move, their eyes wide as they took on what had just happened; suddenly, the blonde started shaking and broke into sobs, hiding her face in the princess' shoulder while the blue haired girl hugged her tightly and cried in her own silent way. Brook's sword clattered noisily as it hit the ground, his bony mouth wide open. Usopp had fallen to his knees, his slingshot lying next to him, forgotten, useless; his eyes glued to the dead body of the man he had looked up to. Chopper had gone back to his smaller form and was wetting the floor with his tears. Franky clenched his fists, but refused to shatter, deciding to become a pillar to his friends; he took the small reindeer in his arms and walked towards the side of the colliseum to free a petrified Datte, who was still stuck to the column, the black stake piercing his shoulder long forgotten.

Sanji heard a rasp, and turned to the redhead, who had managed to move his head towards the swordsman, and whose green eyes were wide and disbelieving. Itami then turned to glare at Kaien, who was now glancing at his hands, clenching them and unclenching them, as though he could feel the new power running through them.

A cold chuckle echoed through the night, and all eyes turned to the white man.

"At last," he laughed, "I am whole…" he raised his hands, "I am the darkness of this world." His eyes then moved to the sobbing navigator. "I am so sorry, darling…" the woman's brown eyes turned to him with the deadliest glare, "Don't give me that look," he chuckled, "After all, whose fault is it that I was able to blackmail him into submitting?"

Nami's eyes widened. It was true. Zoro would have never accepted to his terms if it had not been for the fact that she had been captured. She looked down at the lifeless body that had been the man she loved, and felt a stabbing pain shoot through her heart. He was always saving her…and this time…he had died in doing so……because she was weak.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!!" She looked up startled at the cook and the captain, whose eyes were full of an immense rage that she had never seen in them.

Kaien glanced at them, his eyes boring into Luffy's. Then he smiled, "Oh, that's right…I forgot who was to blame for everything that has happened to our beloved swordsman…" his eyes glinted suggestively, "Isn't that right, captain?"

Luffy frowned, his pupils still dilated with anger, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh!" he gasped mockingly, bringing a hand to his head, "Of course, how could I forget…" his smile turned feral, "You don't know, do you?"

Sanji's eyes widened, "You bastard! Don't you dare—" a black claw materialized beside him and sent him flying towards the other end of the coliseum. The cook's head smashing against the ground, making him lose consciousness. Robin ran to him immediately, along with an alarmed Chopper.

"Sanji!" Luffy yelled, turning towards his cook.

"You are quite a nuisance, Mr. Cook," the white man's voice seemed bored, "Please stay out of this; it has nothing to do with you."

"You—" Luffy roared, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Now, now," Kaien raised his hands, "Are you telling me you are not the least bit curious, Straw Hat?" he saw the young man waver, and smiled, "Oh, so you _are_ curious…"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" The captain's eyes moved towards his first mate unconsciously.

"That's right, Straw Hat," Luffy's eyes narrowed and turned towards him, "Such a loyal crew mate, isn't he?" the raven's eyes narrowed further, "So many sacrifices that he has done for his crew…for his captain…"

Luffy's heart started beating faster, "What?"

"You really have no idea, do you?" he sighed, "Such a grateful captain, not even aware that his first mate almost died for his sake," he cliqued his tongue, "It seems your almost non-existing brain never made any connection between his wounds and your returned energy after all, or did it?"

The raven's blood ran cold, an image of his first mate covered in blood and unconscious while he jumped around, oblivious to the reason behind his fast recovery flooded his mind. "W-what?"

"I would explain it to you, but I'm afraid it would take too long for you to get it," he sighed with mock annoyance, "So why don't I just show you?" He put his hand in front of his own eyes, and a black smoke followed his white fingertips from the depths of his golden orbs. "These are images that I have stored in my mind. I have been watching your swordsman for quite some time, you see." He raised his hand in the air, and the smoke grew, flying further away from him, until everyone in the old coliseum could see it.

Sanji groaned, putting a hand on his aching head. The memory of why he'd been knocked out came to him, and he sat up, alarmed. What he saw made his eyes widen. "What the…?"

The darkness that hovered above the white man seemed to be stricken by random hues of light, and as the cook squinted, he could see images starting to move within it. It seemed like a huge pile of grayish rubble…he frowned.

Then he saw it, and his heart clenched. Luffy. Unconscious. Kuma standing but a few feet away from him, his huge hand already over the boy's battered body.

Then he heard his voice.

"_**Shishi Sonson!**" Zoro slashed the Shichibukai's shoulder, preventing him from touching his captain._

Luffy's eyes were wide, already guessing what was going to happen, but refusing to look away from the images.

"_**Why…must you take Luffy's head?**"_

"_This is already my best offer."_

"_**I see…Go on and take the head...**"_

Usopp gaped as he watched the scene that was unfolding before his eyes.

"_**However, let mine substitute his…! …Let my life exchange for his…! I beg of you!!**"_

Zoro was kneeling, he was _begging_. Chopper's eyes could not have been wider as tears ran freely down his furry cheeks.

"**…**_**I know my head's not worth much at the moment…but eventually I will become the world's number one swordsman! ...I'd say exchanging my life for his is an equally good deal…!**"_

"_But if you have such a great ambition, then by dying for him…how will you ever be satisfied?"_

"_**Aside from that, there is already no other way to save the crew…If I can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition I have is nothing but talk!**"_

Nami started shaking...Zoro…Zoro had…given up his dream…

**"_LUFFY MUST BE THE MAN WHO BECOMES THE PIRATE KING!!"_**

Luffy fell to his knees, the images becoming a blur and the voices barely reaching his ears anymore.

Sanji clenched his eyes shut when he saw himself offer his life, and how Zoro had knocked him out after. He forced himself to watch the rest, for he had only _heard_ what had occurred...and almost wished he hadn't.

The raven's eyes were wide as he saw his first mate take that small part of his pain, and how it was enough to make him scream in agony, his fingers scratched the dirt under him as he watched Zoro ask to do it in some other place. Blood started flowing from underneath his broken nails as he saw him step in front of that huge bubble. _No…no, no! Zoro don't! No! _

_Zoro panted, his breath coming out raggedly through his bloodied mouth as he stood in front of his captain's pain. _

_Suddenly, his eyes narrowed with decision, and he gave a step forward._

Blood and screams were the only thing that the Straw Hats saw and heard from the smoke.

A lone tear finally rolled down the straw hat boy's cheek when he saw himself jumping and laughing while his first mate was missing…and he had not noticed.

.

"_Why the heck is there so much blood?! Oi…are you still alive?! Where did that guy go!? What on earth happened here!?"_

"…_**Nothing…Nothing at all**…"_

The swordsman's standing figure, covered in blood while shaking with the effort of staying conscious, was enough to bring the rest of the crew to tears.

Luffy was still on his knees, his first mate's words still echoing through his mind, _…Nothing…nothing at all…_ He clenched his eyes shot, shaking. When he opened them again, he saw Zoro's lifeless body in front of him, and felt his heart clench with sadness, guilt and anger.

A dark cold laugh ripped their minds off their tears.

"What do you think, Straw Hat?" Luffy's lip teeth were clenched, never looking away from his first mate, "Your first mate has been suffering of long-term heart and internal pain ever since that day…you know that _that_ is the only reason why I was able to get into his dreams and system, right?" Luffy flinched, "Oh, yes...his heart was so weak that I had no problem in surpassing his defenses, penetrating his mind to fill it with as many nightmares as I wanted…" he laughed, "And all because of you."

His laughter echoed through the night, his eyes falling on the dead first mate, "So, guess who ultimately brought his closest friend and ally to his death?" he chuckled, "It is all your fault, Straw Hat, your _incompetence_ has led your most loyal follower to his death…it is your fault that he is now nothing more than an empty carcass without a soul." He grinned mercilessly as Luffy looked at his swordsman's face, "Did you see his dead gaze? All that strength and confidence in you, his captain, disappeared the moment I ripped his essence out of his body." He raised his voice, "He's dead, Straw Hat! And there's no going back this time! He's gone and it is all your fault!"

Luffy was shaking uncontrollably, the images that he had just seen, the screams, the blood, and the knowledge that it had all been for him…that Zoro had suffered so much because of him…memories of Shabondy Archipelago and how Zoro had fallen so suddenly under one of the pacifista's attacks, grunting and holding his stomach in pain…_"Oi Zoro! Did he get you so bad that you can't even move?"_ he had asked him naively….he hadn't known he was still hurt…he was the captain…he was supposed to know if his nakama got hurt! But his first mate had almost died for him and he hadn't even known that! …and…and now he was—

"That's a lie!"

All eyes turned wide towards a barely standing redhead. Kurenai begged him to lie back down, but he ignored her. Reaching for the stakes lodged in his stomach, he ripped one out, grunting at the pain.

"You…" Kaien's eyes gleamed with hatred.

Itami's eyes were red, glowing in the darkness of the night as his essence fed on his pain. He ripped another of the spears out, blood splashing on the ground around him.

"He's not dead, Luffy!" the young captain's eyes bore into the redhead's looking for any hint of a lie in them, "He's…a half bearer," he rasped, "If the new holder of his essence is killed…" he grinned, "He'll get it back…"

"You ingrate!" Kaien yelled, raising his hand towards the redhead.

"Heh…" he chuckled, ignoring Kaien's wrath, his eyes still focused on Luffy, "Seriously…I expected more of…the infamous…Monkey D. Luffy's renown stubbornness…" he smiled, "Especially…when it comes to saving…his nakama…" his eyes met briefly with Robin's, who bit her lip in anguish, "So…" he ripped the last spear off his leg, "Is this really all the fight you can give…Straw Hat?"

Luffy gaped at the redhead, feeling a renewed sense of confidence and joy as a new hope pulled him together. _Zoro's still alive._ A grin started spreading across his face.

Sanji smirked at the redhead, feeling his own hope grow, "That idiot…" he mumbled, "Could've said that earlier…"

"Itami!" Kaien roared, directing a hand towards him as darkness shot towards the redhead.

A look from Itami's red eyes, and Kaien felt an immense pain in his stomach and leg, grunting as the darkness faded away. His eyes widened, _He's sending me the pain of his wounds!_ He invoked his power, deciding to use his new strength to defeat him…

...only to find his essence had barely changed at all. "What?"

Itami laughed, his body standing straighter as his pain flew from him and grew inside Kaien, "You see, _my lord_," he mocked, "There is a little detail that you have chosen to ignore all these years…" Kaien's eyes widened as he looked at Itami with something akin to confusion, one of his hands gripping at his stomach as he felt a stabbing pain, "You were so obsessed with getting the most incredible power that has ever existed….that your mind chose to ignore that fact that Roronoa's essence was actually quite minuscule." He laughed, "Oh, and you _knew_ that. You _knew_ his essence was only enough to change the nature of his haki…but you kept convincing yourself that it was the reason why he could perform his strongest techniques at all, when that was obviously not the case." He stood, straight, "So basically…"

Kaien's eyes were wider than they had ever seen, and when he felt a new source of energy move somewhere to his right, his eyes shot to the form of the raven captain. His fist on the floor. White steam coming from his body, and his skin glistening with the reddish tone that his rush of adrenaline gave him. The air grew heavy as the strongest haki that Kaien had ever felt condensed the night surrounding them.

Itami smiled.

"…You fucked up, my lord."

* * *

**Hey! Sorry for the late chapter! And sorry that it was so short T-T**

**But next chapter is the end of this battle!**

**Please look forward to a very very pissed off Luffy ^^**

**...**

**Am I forgiven now?**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 29**

Kaien's golden eyes gleamed with an unfamiliar fear as his lungs struggled to breathe in the air of the heavy atmosphere surrounding them. _This kid…his haki…is nothing I've ever seen before…_

He glanced at the pirate, who was now fully looking at him, his pupils dilated with anger while his mouth was twisted in a confident smile; it was truly a terrifying face. _He's going to kill me._

"Ugh!" the man suddenly felt the pain in his stomach and legs increase, and looked down, his eyes widening at the tell-tale crimson color that seeped through his white clothes. "What?" his eyes darted towards the redhead, who know stood straight, with no sign of the deadly wounds that had rendered him immobile mere minutes ago. _He didn't only send me his pain, he sent the actual wounds?! _"How did you-?" his words were interrupted by the blood travelling up his gullet.

Itami put a hand on his blood-red hair, his eyes creasing up in a smile as he let out a sheepish laugh, "Actually, I had no idea I could do that…"

Kaien snarled, feeling his life slowly leaving him with the blood from his three new wounds, "You think you've won, you brats?" He glanced down at the fallen figure of the swordsman, "Don't think I'll give up so easily." His right hand reached out for the first mate, and the man's body seemed to be pulled towards him by an invisible force, despite the navigator's efforts to keep Zoro with her.

"Zoro!!" she screamed.

Luffy's smile disappeared, his expression now one of absolute wrath, "Put him down!"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you? How about I answer your doubts first?" Kaien smiled, his tongue lapping the blood around his lips, "Yes, Straw Hat, what Itami said is true. Since your beloved swordsman is only a semi-bearer, his body remains in a state of coma after the soul is removed. If you manage to kill me, his soul will go back…" blood-stained teeth shined under the light of the moon, "However…" a maniacal laugh made chills run up their spines, "What do you think will happen if his body is too damaged for him to live again?" he reached a hand towards the swordsman's chest, "What do you think will happen if I rip his heart out? Do you think he will still be able to live again?"

Luffy's eyes widened further, his gaze darkening and the air surrounding him becoming denser as the man played with Zoro's life.

Itami scowled at the white man, his eyes roamed around until they stopped at his own feet. He smiled.

"So, will you still move against me, Straw Hat? You know I'll do it." Kaien's hand was almost touching Zoro's chest when a voice echoed over his.

"I don't think so." All eyes turned to the redhead as he stood straight, in his right hand one of the spears that had been lodged in his body.

Kaien's eyes narrowed, "You wouldn't."

Itami smirked, "Oh yes, I would." His red eyes gleamed in the night, challenging.

The sound of piercing flesh filled the air, and the crew couldn't help but cringe as the redhead pierced through his right hand with the black spear. It wasn't he who screamed in pain, however.

Kaien let out an agonized yell and stepped back while holding his injured hand to his chest. That was more than enough to make him lose concentration on the swordsman, who started falling heavily towards the ground.

Before Nami could even try to get up to catch him, a gust of wind ran past her, catching the inert body and keeping it over the ground. With wide eyes, the navigator watched as Zoro was moved away from Kaien and towards the rest of the crew by an invisible wind. She heard steps behind her, and glanced back.

"Come, I'll take you with him." Datte's warm gaze immediately melted away the worry that gnawed at her heart, and she smiled gratefully at him. The man in turn nodded and bent down next to her, taking her in his arms and walking towards the other end of the Coliseum, where the rest of their nakama waited for the battle that was to take place.

Itami and Kurenai met with Nami and Datte on their way there, the navigator's eyes digging into the redhead's stomach, where she had seen the black spears stab him just moments ago. Her eyes travelled up to his face and met with Itami's still gleaming red orbs. The man smiled at her, and she could only smile tiredly back.

Itami then looked at the navigator's broken leg, and frowned, his eyes glanced back at Kaien's form, and he felt a wonderful idea illuminate his tired mind. "Ms. Navigator," the orange haired girl's eyes widened at the eye creased smile he turned her way, "Could I ask you a little favor?"

"Huh?" she tilted her head in confusion.

* * *

Kaien watched as the pirates gathered away from him, his golden eyes fired with pain and anger. He raised a hand, only to feel a massive force struck his face, pushing him back as the cracking noise of his broken cheekbones filled the air. He crashed against his own throne, his back breaking through the stone as his body flew past it and continued soaring until it reached the marble wall.

Luffy's arm snapped back into place with a rubber band-like sound. White steam condensed around his body, his muscles tense with the adrenaline that rushed through his veins. A frighteningly calm voice filled the night air as the young captain finally spoke.

"Don't you dare touch my nakama."

A dry cackle reached his ears, and Luffy's pupils seemed to dilate with rage as the man made his way out of the rubble. "_Nakama_…" he spat, "All of you repeat that word over and over again…" he wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at it with a scowl, "It's just a meaningless word, and yet you idiots think of it as something worth dying for…" he laughed, "In the end, bonds like that do nothing but bring you down. They pull you back. They're only a nuisance."

"Do you ever shut up?" Luffy's voice was more serious than any of the crew had ever heard, and it scared them. They all knew Luffy was the deadliest when he was calm, and his eyes now spoke of no mercy. The raven haired captain pulled up his fist for another attack, but Kaien was ready for him this time.

"Hah!" he dodged the stretched arm, the wounds in his stomach and leg not being enough to make his moves sluggish. "Don't get cocky, Straw Hat!" he grinned as he jumped away from another of Luffy's fast attacks, "Your strength means nothing if you can't hit me!" He flexed his legs to dodge another fist.

"How about we change that?" the pale man froze as he felt Itami's voice echo inside his mind, then he remembered the killing attack coming his way and cursed as he tried to move out of the way.

_Snap_

"AGH!" Kaien screamed as his right leg suddenly broke under his weight, his eyes seeing white for two painful seconds; he then turned his wide golden eyes to the furious captain, only to see a strong fist before it connected with his stomach. Kaien grunted as he felt as though the attack had run through him, and yelled as he was sent flying backwards once again.

Having realized what had happened to the man, Luffy snapped his fist back and looked for who he thought could only be behind this.

Itami was looking at the pile of rubble where Kaien had just landed, one hand pressing at Nami's right shin, the other gripping tightly at his own. Understanding hit him when he saw the navigator's bewildered expression as she moved her now healed leg and looked at the redhead in awe. Itami grinned down at her and looked up to Luffy, giving him his slyest smirk before winking at him; and Luffy had to smile.

"Go get him, Straw Hat."

The boy smirked, his brown eyes turning to his victim, white steam flying aside with the night air, "You don't have to tell me twice."

* * *

Kaien stood up, wheezing as he struggled to take in air. He pressed an arm to his stomach while at the same time trying his hardest not to put his right leg on the ground. _That must have broken at least four ribs…_he thought, wincing at the new pain in his chest.

_**.**_

_**What the hell are you doing?**_

**_._**

He felt his essence stir within him in rage and grunted, _I…he's stronger than I thought_! He felt darkness tugging at his mind, and held his head in pain.

.

_**Don't give me those lame excuses, you weakling! I will not be defeated by a mindless brat! You know what you have to do!**_

**_._**

_I have to kill him…I need to kill him! Kill him! KILL HIM! _His pupils contracted as he lost reason, his eyes widening as they turned completely black.

* * *

Luffy took a step towards the cloud of dust where Kaien had landed, only to frown as he felt a strong dark aura oozing from the rubble.

Itami's eyes widened, "Oh crap."

Sanji turned towards him in askance, "What's wrong?"

The redhead seemed lost in thought as he answered, his once again green eyes never leaving the cloud of dust, "He's letting his essence take over…he's gone berserk."

Sanji's lone eye widened and he too turned to look at the cloud of dust, now feeling the dark force that seemed to come from the inside, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Well," Itami tilted his head, as though measuring their possibilities, "I don't really know…I've never seen him like this before…" he frowned and turned his eyes to Luffy, "But as long as your captain keeps his haki like that, and stays calm…I think he should have an advantage," he looked at the cook, "Kaien's desperate, he doesn't know what he's doing anymore; he's acting on impulse…and that's when he's the most predictive."

Sanji looked at the redhead, and then at his captain, "Let's hope you're right," he took a deep breath, "Luffy!!"

The raven turned his eyes towards his cook.

"Be careful! He's gone berserk!" the captain frowned, "Whatever you do! Don't lose your cool!"

"Right!" he answered, taking his hat and throwing it towards the cook, "Take care of that for me!" he said before turning his eyes towards the cloud of dust, which was now beginning to fade away.

"_Straw Hat_," a frighteningly inhuman voice echoed through the night as Kaien stepped out of the rubble.

Luffy's eyes narrowed at the sight before him. The white man had changed completely; his skin was scarred with pitch black lines, his eye no longer a gleaming gold but the darkest black he'd ever seen, his pupils no longer distinguishable. He was breathing raggedly, and blood flowed from his lips as he took another step forward. _He's dying._

"_Straw Hat_," he repeated, his voice hoarse and dripping with hatred, "_Straw Hat!_"

"I don't know what's wrong with you," Luffy announced, his voice cold and calm, "But I know I need to kill you to get Zoro back," he placed his fist on the ground once more, and his skin glistened in a more reddish hue as he pumped more adrenaline into his veins, "And if that's what it takes then I won't stop until you're buried deep underground." The grave calmness of his voice scared his nakama. As much as Luffy had beat up his enemies before, he had never wanted to _kill_. But it seemed like the death of his best friend had set his mind on doing whatever was possible to get him back…and if that meant ending the life of his assassin…then he would do it without hesitation.

The crazed white man looked up as a bloodcurdling scream of rage ripped from his throat, and a frightening aura started surrounding him.

Luffy's face was shaded by his bangs as he looked down, pulling both his arms back as a massive wave of haki made the air dense around him, "Gomu gomu no…" Kaien had started sprinting towards him, his crazed eyes never leaving the young man, "Jet Gatoringun!" a rain of invisible hits fell on the white man, his yells muffled by the sound of millions of fists hitting their mark.

But Luffy was not done. As his arms snapped back, he jumped high in the air, soaring over the battered body of the man who had killed his best friend as said monster coughed out blood and struggled to his feet, his eyes seemingly back to normal as he looked up to his destiny. The young captain put a thumb in his mouth and Kaien's golden eyes widened.

"Gia SADO!" The teen started blowing air into his thumb, and his arm immediately grew to the size of a giant's; pulling the enormous arm back, he started falling towards his enemy.

Kaien gawked at the gigantesque fist that was approaching at frightening speed, and attempted to move out of the way, ignoring the pain in his leg, he took a shuddering step, only to feel a large cut form in his stomach. Looking up and towards the group of pirates, he was able to see Itami kneeling beside Iryann, whose mortal wound seemed to have disappeared. Grunting in fear and frustration, he gave a fast look to the fist over him before looking at Itami once again, and everything seemed to slow down. The redhead's serious face while his eyes burned with hatred, Kurenai's unusual loathing in her expression, Iryann's look of disgust as her cold blue eyes focused on him, Datte's unemotional face as he witnessed his end.

Kaien's golden eyes then took on the crew's expressions, the younger ones cheering for their captain while tears streamed down their faces; the others watching in silence with eyes full of loathing towards him…He then looked at the inert body of Roronoa, and felt the darkness within him claw at his heart for his failure at achieving the power he had dreamed for.

Kaien's eyes were dilated with fear, hatred and fury as he looked up to his death and roared in anger.

"Gomu gomu no! _Bone Fuusen_!" The night was filled with silence, the voices of the pirates disappearing as Luffy's fist fell on his victim. "_Giganto pistol_!"

A massive destructive wave followed the impact, and the Straw Hats struggled not to be sent flying as the totality of their captain's attack impacted the ground. The sudden gust of wind lifted a huge cloud of dust that made them have to cover their eyes. Then…

Silence.

* * *

Nami opened her eyes slowly, coughing a couple times to keep the dust out of her lungs, "Luffy?" With shaking legs, she rose to her feet, still not believing that her leg was now perfectly healed. "Luffy?" she raised her voice, waiting for an answer from her captain. She gave a couple steps, but her legs were still weak, and she tripped. A strong arm held her upright and she looked up to see the now familiar green eyes as the redhead put her arm around his shoulders.

"Let's go." she nodded and walked further into the cloud of dust with him.

After a few moments, a shadow was visible in the dust, and Nami's eyes narrowed as she tried to make out the shape. The lanky form with a mop of tangled hair was enough to make her eyes water with relief, "Luffy!"

"Nami?" his voice seemed strained as he started walking towards them, and the navigator let go of the helping shoulders as she ran towards him. Without thinking twice, she hugged the boy tightly, making his eyes widen I surprise.

"What happened? Did you win?" he chuckled.

"I think so." She looked up and saw him smile, and couldn't help but return a shaky smile herself.

"We should check," Itami's voice brought them back to reality, "Just in case."

Luffy nodded firmly, his face serious once again as he walked away from Nami and towards the broken form of his enemy. The navigator followed behind, with the redheaded assassin walking beside her.

A strangled rasp made them all flinch. The raven boy pushing the navigator back as he approached the man, all muscles ready tense in case he needed to defense himself.

"You still alive?"

A choked gurgle made his eyes narrow as he realized the man was laughing. His bones should have been broken by then, his lungs crushed and punctured by shattered bones. "Don't….think…..so much…" he swallowed with effort, "o-f your…self…"

"Just let him die," Itami's voice startled Luffy as the redhead stepped up beside him, "He doesn't deserve to be put out of his misery."

"I…tami…" blood-shot eyes turned to the redhead, a bloodied smile making the man cringe in disgust, "You…cannot……es…cape….your……d-destiny," he spat blood and coughed, his throat making sounds that made Nami wince while Luffy and Itami remained impassive, "Even if you get......rid of me……You will be…the death…of everyone……you love……starting with………Kurenai…" Itami's eyes widened, but he was stopped by Luffy before he could kill the man in an outburst of anger, "…heh……same……with you…Straw…Hat…" he coughed, "Roro…noa…will not be……the last to die……for……your reckless…dream…" the man tensed when he saw the young captain crouch beside him.

"Zoro's not dead," he responded calmly, "And you…should stop talking about things you don't know, and worry more about your own situation, Kaien." The serene way in which he said his name made Kaien's blood boil, his hands clenching in fists as his eyes lit up with hatred.

"I will not die!" he rasped, "I will hunt you down! All of you!" his voice sounded more strangled with each word, "You cannot kill darkness!"

Luffy leaned down and whispered by the man's ear, "Watch me." Kaien's eyes widened.

The captain rose to his feet, his arm tensing. Nami's eyes widened as she realized what the boy was about to do, and then closed as she looked down.

"Wait." Itami grabbed his shoulder, "You don't have to," Luffy's stern eyes did not make him waver, "He's dying already, Luffy, you know you don't want to do this." The boy's shoulders slumped over in defeat as he let his arm fall.

Kaien laughed, "Mercy," he spat, "Language of the weak," Luffy's eyes widened as he saw the man's body start disintegrating into darkness, "You heart…will be the death of you…Straw Hat…along with those you call nakama." he chuckled as he watched himself disappear, "A kind pirate…" he laughed, "…What a joke."

"And yet you were defeated by one," Itami's voice was soft, as though he pitied the man in front of them, but the coldness in his eyes said otherwise.

"Heh," the white man's face was already fading into a black cloud, "Guess that……makes _me_…even more…pathetic."

Luffy watched with a frown as the man disappeared, his essence dividing itself over and over again, and flying out and away from them. By then, the cloud of dust had already dissipated and their nakama were once again visible. Vivi was holding Chopper tightly against her while Sanji put an arm around Robin's shoulders while they both watched the souls fly into the sky. Iryann held on to Datte while Kurenai watched alone, her crimson eyes never leaving the sky. Usopp, Brook and Franky gawked as they saw the black souls fly away with the first lights of sunrise.

Standing in silence, they all watched the different shadows part ways, all of them disappearing into the night…save for one. Nobody dared to breathe as the small fraction of dark essence slipped through the swordsman's chest, all tense as they waited for something to happen.

Nothing.

Nami limped towards Zoro, falling on her knees beside him, her eyes moving constantly from his closed eyes to his unmoving chest, a tight knot forming in her stomach at the mere thought that everything had been for nothing. She didn't even have the strength to cry as her gaze fell on the ground, her mind in a state of shock.

Kaien's words rang inside Luffy's mind as he waited for his first mate to live again, _"Roro…noa…will not be……the last to die……for……your reckless…dream…"_ he felt something tug at his heart as he remembered what the swordsman had told him when they had first met. _"I will always follow my own ambitions! If you do anything that will cause me to abandon my ambitions…you will end your life on my sword!" _

Sanji cursed and turned his eyes away from the swordsman. This could not be. They had done everything they could! They had killed that bastard for God's sake! _Why won't you just wake up!?_

The Straw Hats finally gave up hope, turning their eyes down or away from their first mate, and letting the tears come to their eyes. None of them seemed to notice the wince that marred the swordsman's still features, or the motion of his chest as it started moving with the rhythm of his breathing.

* * *

Zoro growled inwardly as he felt his body burn all over, _"Guess it's time to wake up?" _Slowly but surely, the swordsman sat up, bringing a hand to his forehead with a groan as he looked around him. "I give, I give…I think I saw a field of flowers…"

"Z-zoro?"

"Huh?" the swordsman turned to find his crew staring at him with wide eyes, the wet trails on their cheeks told him they had all been crying, hell even the cook seemed to have tears down his cheeks. Suddenly frowning as a thought struck him, he asked, "Who died?"

The crew gawked at him like he'd grown a second head, until the cook suddenly chuckled, looking down as he shook his head in disbelief, "You've gotta be kidding me."

"What?" he asked, feeling utterly confused with what was wrong with his nakama.

A hand landed lightly on his chest, and he looked down to see Nami was examining him intently, as though she didn't trust he was really awake, "What is it, woman?"

He was startled to see her smile…the prettiest smile he'd ever seen on her face, that is before she brought her fist down on his head and hit him.

"OW!" He yelled, rubbing the sore spot with a bewildered face, "What the hell was that for?!"

"That's for being an idiot!" she chirped back, the smile still lighting up her face.

Zoro was going to ask what the deal was with her messed up logic when he felt another punch on his head, and looked up to see his captain had also hit him, his face shaded by his hat, "Luffy? What the—" his voice died when the boy suddenly smiled and started laughing.

A light kick on his head followed, and he looked up to see the cook lighting up a cigarette with a passive face.

"What the hell shit cook?"

"You damn right deserve it, asshole." He smirked, "For making Nami-san cry."

"W-what?" he tilted his head, "When did I—" his words were interrupted by a combo hug from Chopper and Usopp, who were crying and punching his chest at the same time.

"ZOWOOO~!"

"What in the—?" he carefully held Chopper up to his face and looked at his smiling teary face, suddenly feeling guilty. _What the hell happened?_ The reindeer seemed so relieved that he couldn't help but smile.

He was hit by a cane and a metallic fist (which hurt a bit more than he would've liked), followed by a light pat from the blue haired princess and a cold bump on his head by a certain ash-blonde. It was then that he noticed Iryann, Datte, Itami and the woman with silver hair…what was her name?...Kurenai…who were all smiling down at him.

A hand grew from his chest, and he looked down with a small wince, waiting to be hit. As he expected, the hand moved to slap him right across the face before disappearing in a shower of petals. Holding his burning cheek, the swordsman looked up to the tall figure of the historian, "Robin…you too?"

"It's the least I can do to punish your recklessness, Swordsman-san." She had an honest smile on her face, and Zoro couldn't help but to smile back.

"Well," he started, "Anyone else wanna hit me, or are you going to explain what the hell happened?"

"Oh, so you don't remember," Sanji gasped mockingly, the smirk obvious in his voice, "We're going to have to beat it into you, then." He raised a leg, "Alright everyone, let's help the marimo remember."

"Aye!"

"What?!"

* * *

**Alright! The battle is over!**

**Please review and tell me how this was...I'm not entirely sure...**

**This doesn't end here, so don't worry. I'm planning on adding another chapter...and maybe an epilogue **

**(but that depends on public opinion).**

**Hope you liked it! ^^**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: One Piece and all its characters are property of Eiichirō Oda**

**Chapter 30**

Zoro's black eyes opened lazily, a white light blinding him momentarily before familiar colors and shapes started taking form in his drowsy mind. As his eyes roamed the uniform surface of the wooden ceiling above him, he immediately recognized it to be the ceiling of the infirmary. He sighed in annoyance, _I've been stuck here an awful lot this past month…_

The light sound of a door opening slowly made his eyes leave the sight above him to see who had come into the room. A certain orange haired navigator stepped in with care, obviously trying not to wake the patient inside while still holding on to the tray with food on her hands. The swordsman silently rose to his elbows and watched with amusement as she tried to close the door as quietly as possible, her back still towards him.

Satisfied with herself, Nami gave a light nod of approval and turned towards the bed, only to give a surprised yelp upon finding the green haired man watching her, the tray almost falling to the ground from her startled jump. "Y-you're awake!"

His eyes gleamed with amusement at her reaction, a small smirk tugging his lips upward, "Apparently so."

She gave a small glare at the humor in his voice before letting a smile form at her own lips. "I brought you some food. Chopper said you'd wake up soon and I thought you might be hungry after sleeping for two whole days so…"

His eyebrows rose at her sheepish statement. Eyes narrowed, he looked at the tray with suspicion, "How much?"

Nami's mouth opened in disbelief at his question as she put the tray on the desk, "Is it that **hard** to think of me as a genuinely kind person?" it only took one look at his dark eyes to know the answer, "Okay, don't answer that."

Zoro looked at her face, the small pout on her lips telling him that she knew he was right. He chuckled.

"What?" she demanded, a small frown marrying her features as she raised her chin proudly.

"Nothing," he smirked. He tried to sit up and, as he was doing so, noticed the bandages on his left arm. He frowned. "So, what happened after I woke up?…" he rubbed his forehead trying to remember, "You told me Luffy defeated that bastard and I got my soul back...I remember you guys beat me up for some reason I still don't know about…" he looked up to her, "The rest is kind of blurry…"

She sighed and walked up to his bed, sitting down by his leg, "Well," she started, glancing at his bandaged chest and arm, "You managed to stay up for a bit, but it seemed your heart was still giving you some trouble, and you had lost a lot of blood…so you passed out." She chuckled at the memory, "Almost gave Chopper a heart attack when he saw your arm up close."

"How about the others?" he almost sounded worried, "I know I wasn't the only one that got hurt," he glanced at her leg, "I remember Kaien broke your leg…" he seemed to blame himself for that, "And Itami was hurt pretty badly…" the smile on her face made him arch an eyebrow.

"Actually, it was thanks to _him_ that none of us ended up with any really serious injuries," he frowned in confusion, "Remember his power?" she could see some understanding of what might have happened grow in his black eyes, "He transferred his own injuries to Kaien," Zoro's eyes widened, "Then mine, and then Iryann's."

"I didn't know he could do that."

"Apparently, neither did he." She giggled, "He was just as shocked as we were."

He smiled, thinking that he should thank the redhead later…maybe, "So, what happens now?"

"Well," she chirped, walking towards the tray to bring him his food, "Now you eat, then I'll let Luffy know that you're awake…or maybe I'll make it a surprise," she winked, "And then we party. Luffy has been waiting for two whole days, you know."

He smirked, picturing his goofy captain with that childish smile of his, "Should've known…" he shook his head.

She smirked, "Now eat," her smile turned devilish, "And just so you know…" she stuck her tongue out, "I may have raised your debt by just a couple thousand Berri more." The horror in his eyes made her burst out laughing.

"You greedy witch! I knew it!" he yelled, pointing and accusatory finger at the gleaming navigator. The fact that she was still laughing (and that she looked adorable) blew the anger away from him, making his shoulders fall in defeat with a sigh, "I hate you."

"You _love_ me." She winked, kissing him on the lips lightly before skipping towards the door, "Now be a good boy for me and eat your food, Zoro-kun ~" she sang.

"Yeah, yeah…" he grumbled, feeling a smile tug at his lips despite himself. "…Witch."

* * *

Luffy was sitting at his favorite spot on the lion's head, dark eyes closed as he listened to the waves, a happy smile on his lips.

Everything was okay now.

Kaien was gone, and he could not hurt Zoro anymore. His first mate was finally safe.

A small frown marred his features at the memory of what his first mate had done for him. He sighed. He wanted to berate Zoro for doing what he did, for risking his life...ask him how could he abandon his dream like that…but he knew he wouldn't. After all, he of all people should know why Zoro had done it…and he couldn't reprove him for it…lest he become a hypocrite. He chuckled. He really couldn't blame Zoro…could he…?

"Luffy?" The raven turned his head to find a smiling ash-blonde by the railing. By the way she was smiling; Luffy could already tell that she was struggling with something. Almost immediately, the boy hid his worries behind a goofy face-splitting grin and raised his hand eagerly to salute his troubled friend.

"Yo, Iryann!" he chirped, turning around to face her completely, "What's up? Is dinner ready yet?"

The girl giggled, and Luffy was happy to see her more at ease. "Not yet," she smiled, "But I'm sure you won't have to wait long," the captain's smile widened with hers, "And Chopper says that Zoro should wake up soon."

Luffy punched the air with a happy cheer, "Yosha! Zoro!!" he laughed wholeheartedly, pleased to see that Iryann was laughing with him, now completely relaxed.

As they stopped laughing, they stayed in a comfortable silence, both turning to watch the waves quietly lapping at the hull of the Sunny. By the time Luffy talked again, it seemed like a good half hour had passed by.

"Iryann," he turned and smiled, that warm smile he gave when he wanted to let their nakama know that he understood, "You don't have to stay with us."

Wide ice-blue eyes focused on the young captain's dark brown ones. Once again amazed at the wisdom in the eyes of the seemingly naïve man, Iryann found herself smiling sadly. "I'm—"

"You don't have to apologize either, I understand; there are more people like Kaien that are interested in your essences. You and Datte need to move around faster than us, and he wants to keep you safe." His smile widened, "Just promise you'll visit every once in a while."

Iryann felt her throat run dry and swallowed the sudden knot that prevented her words from coming out. Suddenly feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders, she tried to keep back the tears that were threatening to fall. "L-Luffy, I—" she gasped, "I don't know how to thank you," she laughed at her stupid tears, "For everything that you've done for us, and—" she gulped, "I can only hope that you'll remember me…because I know that I will not forget you, or any of the Straw Hat pirates…" she smiled, rubbing her eyes with both her hands, feeling like a little girl once again.

She was crying, and yet she couldn't stop smiling.

"Baka," he said quietly, "How could we ever forget you?" he gave her his trademark grin, "Nakama are forever," his head tilted with that childlike innocence that had made so many underestimate his inner strength, "Ne?"

And all the girl could do was nod between half choked sobs and laughs while a full smile still lit up her face.

Luffy smiled happily with her, replacing his beloved straw hat on top of his dark hair as he rose to his feet and jumped on the railing.

"Zoro! What are you doing up?!" their heads turned to see a very alarmed Chopper jump at the swordsman and grabbing onto his face hysterically as he stepped onto the deck. "You should be resting!"

"I'm fine I tell you!" Zoro's muffled response barely reached their ears as he struggled to get the reindeer off his face.

"It's okay, Chopper," Nami calmed him down sweetly, "I already told him what would happen if he forced himself to stay up." She chirped, her eyes looking suspiciously like Berri signs.

"Zoro!!" Luffy beamed, already stretching his arms to welcome his first mate.

A chill travelled down Zoro's back as he heard his captain's voice, his eyes already frantically looking for the lanky boy. When he heard the stretch of rubber and the rustle of the wind, he knew it was too late. Looking towards the lion's head, he closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact.

_SMACK_

Luffy's body collided with his and sent them both flying against the wall of Adam wood behind the swordsman. Lights and dark spots danced in his vision as he tried to keep his head straight and his eyes open. His captain's laughter brought his mind back to the present and he felt a vein pop in his forehead and his eyebrow start twitching. His voice came out slightly strained as he threatened his captain's life for smashing him against the ship…again.

"One of these days…" he coughed, "I swear...I'm gonna kill you."

"Zoro you're so lazy!" the boy laughed, oblivious to his first mate's rising temper, "You've been asleep for two days! Do you know how long that is?!" He sounded almost in awe.

The swordsman felt a smirk tug at his lips despite himself, and couldn't help but chuckle at Luffy's childish behavior.

"Yeah," he answered, "It's two days."

"LUFFY!" the horrified doctor was on the verge of having a heart attack at the reckless treatment that Luffy was giving to his patient, "What the hell do you think you're doing!? Zoro's still hurt!!!"

"Oh!" he chirped, looking up to his first mate, whose back was still flat against the wall while the young captain sat happily on his lap, "You're still hurt?"

"Nah, he's exaggerating," he shook his head to assure him, although his voice still sounded a tad strained.

"See, Chopper?" he smiled, "He's okay!" A loud smacking sound made him face down in pain as a fuming navigator slammed her fist on the boy's head.

"He is NOT okay, you idiot!!" she yelled, "He just walked out of the infirmary!"

"Itte-te-te-te!" he whined, putting a hand to the fresh bump on his head, "Nami! What was that for!?"

"That's for being an inconsiderate idiot! Now go tell Sanji that Zoro's up!" she said, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration, "He should get dinner ready."

"YAY! PARTY!!" He cheered, sprinting towards the kitchen and grabbing Usopp and Chopper on the way.

Zoro's eyes followed his captain to the galley, a small smirk playing on his lips as he chuckled at the boy's antics. He felt someone step in front of him and looked up to his old friend Datte.

"I see there are no calm days on this ship," he smiled, offering a hand to the swordsman.

"Calm?" he deadpanned, "What is that?" he took his friend's hand and raised himself up to his feet with a grunt. Now looking at the tall raven eye to eye, he clapped his shoulder, "It's been a long time."

"You bet it has," the man smirked, "Who'd have thought that little green haired brat would ever get this far?"

"Oi, you asshole, speak for yourself," he replied, a full grin still on his face, "I remember even Iryann was strong enough to give you a good beating back then."

"So I was a pacifist," he defended himself, eyes closed as he raised his chin, "Bite me."

Zoro laughed and ruffled the man's hair before turning to Nami.

"So, witch," he said in his usual baritone, "What now?"

"Now we wait until dinner time and you let everyone see you," she grinned, amused by the men's interaction, "It's been a stressful couple of days, and everyone will be glad to know that you're finally up and around."

"Great," he scowled, "Socializing." He glanced at the mast and looked back at her almost pleadingly, "Can't I just take a nap?"

"You've been sleeping for two days, you lazy ass," she smacked the back of his head lightly, "No nap for you until after the party." She pushed him towards the deck, "Now shoo. I have to get back to my maps." And with that, she turned around and walked towards the cartography room.

Zoro and Datte watched her go; the first with a scowl on his face while the latter raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Well I'll be damned," he blinked, "And here I thought I'd never get to see the infamous Roronoa Zoro being ordered around by a woman." He whistled, "Talk about bossy. I _like _her."

"Shut up, wind-freak." He growled good-humoredly as he turned around and faced an approaching ash-blonde.

"How are you doing, Zoro?" she asked with a smile.

"Awesome," he said, bored, "I swear if anyone else asks me again I will _hit_ something."

"Well that's rude!" she said in mock-annoyance, "I was just trying to be nice, you know!"

"Yeah, whatever chibi," he shooed her away, using her old (and very much hated) nickname on purpose, "You and your beloved peace-freak over here move along now."

"Did you just call me…_chibi_?" her eyes gleamed coldly as she looked down.

"Nope! He didn't say it! Not at all!" a nervously laughing Datte intervened and raised her over his shoulder, carrying her away as she had an annoyed fit and cursed Zoro for bringing that stupid name back.

Zoro watched in amusement as his old friends walked to the back of the ship, sighing in content at finding himself alone on the grassy deck. "To hell with that witch. I'm taking a nap."

"Oh! Mr. Bushido!" he closed his eyes in utter disbelief at his bad luck. Turning around, he saw Vivi, Robin and the silver haired woman walking towards him from the girls' room. "You're awake!"

"Hi Vivi, Robin…" he glanced at the crimson eyed woman with questioning eyes.

"Kurenai." She answered with a smile. She looked better now…healthier. She had borrowed one of Vivi's dresses, and her bruises were mostly gone. It seemed like the cook had taken care of her malnutrition problem too. "It is nice to finally meet you, Zoro-san."

He nodded accordingly, acknowledging who she was and what she'd been through with one motion. She seemed to understand.

Glancing back at Robin and Vivi, he pulled out his normal gruff face, "So, what's with you?"

"My, my, Swordsman-san," Robin's knowing smile made his mouth turn down in a scowl, already foreseeing her teasing answer, "We were just going to ask you _how you were doing_."

Zoro's eyebrow twitched. _She **so** heard what I said a minute ago. This woman is pure evil_.

"I'm _fine_." He responded gruffly.

"Well that's good to hear." Her eyes creased up in her happy (scary) smile.

A door busting open drew their eyes towards the galley as Luffy flew out and crashed against the mast.

"Stay there while I get it all out, you shitty-gomu!" Zoro was almost happy to see Sanji walking out of the galley with a huge tray with food…not that he would ever admit it to him. The cook looked back inside with his usual nonchalant face, a cigarette hanging from his lips, "Oi, shitty-redhead, make yourself useful and help me bring the food outside."

"Sure thing, Blondie," Itami's mocking voice reached their ears, and Zoro had to wonder what the hell had the man been doing there in the first place.

His thoughts must have been quite obvious as suddenly he heard some giggles to his side.

"It's hard to believe, but I think they're becoming friends," Zoro's eyebrows rose at the blue haired princess' statement.

"Friends?" he asked, "Those two were at each other's throats last time I checked."

"I believe that when Cook-san realized that Redhead-san was not lying to us, the mistrust stopped and he...tolerated him more." Robin answered with a smirk.

"Itami just has a kick out of pushing Sanji-san's buttons," Kurenai commented with a knowing smile, "He's the kind of person that Itami just _loves_ to annoy."

Zoro chuckled, his eyes watching as the cook cursed at the redhead for calling him Blondie, "Hell, then we have something in common."

"Oi, shit swordsman!" Sanji's voice brought him to reality as the cook noticed him watching, "Move your lazy ass and help that useless idiot with the food."

"Whatever, shit-cook," he growled back in response, not commenting on the smirk that the cook tried to hide, as he himself had a smirk of his own.

"Oi Franky! Where are my tables?" a series of bumps and thumps came from one of the doors to the cyborg's workshop before he came out with a series of folding tables.

"Just finished making them cook-bro," he had them set in no time, and Sanji, Itami and Zoro started placing the food on the long tables.

"Yohohohoho!" Brook's laugh made Zoro glance up as the skeleton jumped down from the Crow's nest and landed lightly on the grassy deck. "Zoro-san! I'm glad to finally see you walking around!"

"Thanks Brook," he said with a smile. He was actually in a pretty good mood, and seeing his nakama happy seemed enough of an excuse to humor the witch and be_ nice_.

"Oh, wow," speaking of the devil, "Was that an actual _smile_, Zoro? Damn it, I_ knew_ I should've brought out a camera."

"Quit nagging me, woman." He growled as Nami held on to his arm while sticking out her tongue.

Zoro chuckled at the navigator's antics and lowered his head to kiss her on the forehead in a rare show of emotion.

"Oi, get a room!" Usopp's mocking yell was followed by a cowered yelp as both the demon hunter and the scary navigator sent him a glare, earning a laugh from the rest of the crew.

After making sure all the food was served, Sanji made his way towards Robin, offering his arm gentlemanly and motioning towards the loaded table. The archeologist smiled and took it gladly, letting him walk her towards their nakama. Itami whispered something into Kurenai's ear that made her start laughing before smacking his arm playfully, a real smile in the redhead's face as his green eyes softened with her laughter. Datte had his arm around Iryann's shoulders and was smiling warmly down at her as the blonde told him of her adventures with the Straw Hat crew. Chopper was singing along with Brook as the skeleton put him on his bony shoulders and played his beloved violin to the happy tune of _Bink's Sake_. Franky and Usopp had started dancing and acting like their normal idiotic selves while Luffy cheered them on and Vivi laughed beside him.

"ALRIGHT!" Luffy raised his jug with one hand, while holding on to Vivi with the other, "Now that Zoro's awake and everyone's fine we can finally make a toast and party!"

"KANPAI!"

* * *

"We're going to miss you so much." Nami repeated as she hugged Iryann one last time, "Please come and visit us soon."

"I'm going to miss you too," she answered, feeling her throat get tight once more, "But we'll keep in touch." She assured with a smile, both to the navigator and to herself.

"Don't get into any more trouble, chibi," Zoro smirked while ruffling her hair, "Or your pacifist will end up bald."

Iryann looked up the swordsman with a smile, the familiarity with which he used her annoying nickname actually making her heart feel lighter. "I could tell you the same thing, you big masochist."

"Oi." He put on a scowl in mock annoyance, making her start laughing. She looked at him once more and shook her head as the memories of their childhood flooded her mind. Knowing that he would never bring himself to it, she took a step forward and hugged him tightly. "Whoa!" his black eyes widened as he looked down at the blonde, softening slightly when he felt the wetness through his shirt. Smiling, he patted her head lightly, "Oi, oi…don't give me a melodramatic farewell now…we'll see each other soon." He made her look up, "Right?"

She smiled and rubbed her face dry, nodding, "Right."

He nodded firmly, "Good. Now get down there and give that idiot a punch for me."

"I heard that!" Datte's voice reached them from the dock, making them laugh.

"Okay, then." He nodded towards the island, "Shoo."

The girl laughed and smiled happily before turning around. As she walked towards the railing of the ship, she gave her goodbyes to the rest of the crew. She was almost tackled to the ground by Chopper and Vivi, while a weeping Sanji tried to stand his ground with the help of a very amused Robin. Franky was a sea of tears, and Brook was blowing his nose – Oh wait! He doesn't have one! Yohohoho! – with his handkerchief. All the while Usopp was trying really hard to pry the crying doctor away from the blonde.

Zoro stood aside and watched as she tried to get away from his crying friends, a small smile in his face as he noticed how hard she was trying not to cry herself. He felt Nami lean against his side, but chose to say nothing. The navigator looked up to him and smiled, turning her eyes to Iryann and chuckling at her nakama's idiocy. She tilted her head.

"You know what I just noticed…?" she started.

"Hmm?" the swordsman answered, not looking away from the blonde.

"You are _really_ bad at saying goodbye." She gave a sideways glance and saw that Zoro was looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. A small smirk formed at his lips and she couldn't help but smile cheekily at him.

"Shut up, witch."

* * *

Iryann finally managed to get herself disentangled from her sad nakama and reached the side of the ship. Giving a thankful nod to the redhead who stood by with a smile, she finally got to her captain.

Luffy was facing the island, his eyes shadowed by his straw hat and away from the crew as he waited for her to say whatever she needed.

"Luffy…I--" she started, taking a deep breath before extending a hand in front of the captain, "Thank you for everything."

The boy turned towards her then, and Iryann could see his eyes were slightly wet. He wore his trademark grin however; the one that seemed like it would split his face in half. Looking at her hand, he started laughing and pulled the girl into a tight hug.

"There's nothing to thank me for," he chirped, "Nakama gotta help each other out, right?" he felt her tighten the hug, and his eyes softened slightly, "Take care, Iryann." He stepped back and held his hat in place, "Come visit us soon!"

"I will!" she smiled back, giving a last glance backwards to the people that had given her so much. She waved goodbye one last time and jumped onto the dock, where Datte was waiting for her.

The crew gathered at the railing and waved goodbye as Iryann smiled at them and Datte nodded with a grin.

And suddenly, they were gone.

Chopper, Usopp, Franky, Brook and Luffy almost jumped over the railing in their surprise, "They vanished! They're gone!"

Zoro's chuckle drew their eyes to the amused swordsman, "That's Datte for you."

Luffy skipped back to his first mate with eyes full of childlike wonder, "What did he do, Zoro?"

"Well," he smirked down at him as Chopper also clopped towards them, "Why walk when you can move with the wind?" he saw their eyes start shinning and chuckled.

"THAT'S SO COOL!!" The stars filled their eyes as they looked at each other. Luffy took the little reindeer for a spin as they laughed at the "awesomeness" of Datte's essence.

Itami smiled at the happy duo and looked at Kurenai, who gave him one of those warm smiles that he had missed so much during the past five years. Clearing his throat, he took a step forward as the crew's attention was drawn back to them.

"I'm afraid we're gonna have to leave too," he announced.

"So you're really leaving?" Nami asked with a sad smile, having taken a liking of the redhead herself.

"Yeah," he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "We've abused enough of your hospitality, and Kurenai doesn't like being a bother…" his mocking smirk was back full force as he tilted his head, "I wouldn't mind staying here to annoy Blondie for some more time, though."

"Oh, she's no bother at all," Sanji replied, smiling at the silver haired woman before turning his deadpan look on the redhead, "The only annoying bastard here is you."

Itami put a hand to his chest in mock pain, "Now that's just mean…" he looked at him with fake sadness, "After all we've been through together." He put a fist to his mouth to keep back the tears. "You hurt my feelings, Blondie."

Luffy and Usopp were rolling on the ground with laughter as Sanji got redder and redder with annoyance.

"Don't worry, Blondie," he smirked, "I won't be a bother for a while."

That seemed to get Luffy's attention, "You mean you'll visit?" he was all smiles.

Itami laughed at the happy face on the pirate captain, "Sure! I don't see why not." He put an arm around Kurenai's shoulders, "Although I don't think we'll do it as often as Iry-chan and the great Kaze no Kei…what with not being able to travel with the wind and all…but we'll try." He winked.

"Alright!" Luffy cheered, hugging Vivi to herself and giving her a peck on the cheek with excitement.

The redhead and the crimson eyed woman smiled, "Thank you for everything," she said with a small bow, "I hope we can someday repay you for all you've done for us."

"There is nothing to repay." Her eyes moved to the swordsman who stood with his arms folded over his chest, "We all helped each other in the end. And if anything _we_ owe that idiotic redhead of yours more than you do us."

"Wow, _thanks_," Itami nodded sarcastically, "I love you too, green eyes." he shook his head in mock disappointment, "Seriously, does anyone here remember my name at all?" he wondered.

"Oh, we do." Sanji smirked, "Nicknames are just a lot more fun."

"I see," he nodded, "Alright then...See ya around Blondie." He turned with a wave and started walking towards the railing.

The cook chuckled to himself and shook his head.

"Itami." A shaky voice made the redhead stop on his tracks and turn around. He only had to face down to see a teary-eyed reindeer rubbing his small eyes with his hoofs.

"Hey, buddy," he crouched down to meet him eye to eye, "You know I'm not leaving forever," his eyes softened as Chopper tried to keep the tears back, his lip trembling with the effort. He sighed, "Come here." And the reindeer moved forward and buried his furry face in his chest. "Hey now, you need to be a big boy and act like a man. Okay?" he was met with a pair of big black eyes, "Because you need to be strong and act like the great doctor you are to make sure that the masochistic swordsman and the idiotic cook don't get themselves killed, 'kay?" He smiled when the small doctor nodded before going into his little compliment-denial dance .

"That doesn't make me happy, you bastard!" he clapped, "You bastard!"

Itami pressed the reindeer's hat down over his eyes and rose to his feet. "Alright, Straw Hats." He sighed, waving two fingers in a final salute, "Until we meet again."

And with that, he took a step back and took hold of Kurenai before disappearing in a cloud of red and black smoke.

...

"Seriously, are any of these people normal?" Usopp wondered aloud.

Luffy laughed, "I don't know, Usopp," he smiled with confidence, "But I'm sure we'll see them again."

Zoro smirked at his captain's rare moment of calmness, and glanced at where their new friends had disappeared, "Yeah," He smiled down at Nami and put the little reindeer on his shoulders, "I'm sure we will."

FIN

* * *

**Alright! So this was technically the last chapter (because I'm still planning on writing an epilogue).**

**Thank you all for your support, and I hope you liked this fic! ^^**


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